Irreplaceable Spark
by glorymania
Summary: Cullen family just moved to Forks in 1987. Alice finds a tiny infant with beautiful brown eyes in the woods. The Cullens adopts baby Bella. Read to find out what becomes of Bella's life as she grows up with a house full of vampires. BELLICE eventually.
1. Chapter 1

In the expanse of trees and undergrowth, a blurred figure moves swiftly through the large area with adept speed. The only sound that can be made out by the human ear is the waterfall that lies in the far distance. But all else was still and quiet in the forest. Of course, no one would question _why._ It was a forest after all, and only the true sounds of nature were accompanying it. In the silence, creatures hid in-between the greens, almost too afraid to make any noise. Their senses heightened from the swift movements of the unknown species, tearing through their territory, but the figure was gone with the wind before their eyes could pick up on the slightest motion.

Alice ran leisurely through the woods and found the new area her family had just moved to incredibly fitting for their _lifestyle_. She looked through the future with her gift to find the perfect sequoia tree to climb and finally saw one that was a couple of feet taller than the others around it. Alice immediately took off as soon as her vision ended and sprinted towards the tree with an unchallengeable speed. Ducking below several branches and lightly touching the ground with her two coordinated feet, Alice made it to the tree that was fairly two miles away in merely forty-five seconds. When she's gotten five feet away within the tree, Alice jumped up and began climbing it with ease. As she reached the top, she sat on the thick branch, leaning her back against the trunk of the tree.

Alice closed her eyes and took an unnecessary breath of air, reveling in the contents of the atmosphere from how high she was. Her nose scrunched up as she began to pick up on an alluring smell that wasn't like any other she's ever smelt before. She leaned forward slightly and breathed in again but this time more deeply, and her eyes shot wide open when she recognized that it was _human_ blood. A vision caught her by surprise and she fell into a fixed stillness as her topaz eyes began to completely glaze over.

_Behind the house where the woods were connected to the backyard, a man was swinging a rope over a branch that was about ten feet from the ground. He swung the first time and missed, and a woman not too far behind him with a bundle in her arms laughed at him. _

"_I'd like to see you try it Renee," the man huffed. The woman, Renee, walked towards him with careful steps as she wraps a protective arm around the bundle and pulls it closer to her chest. _

"_Oh Charlie, she's barely a month old. She hasn't even crawled yet, let alone learning how to sit on a swing." Renee said and then turned to the bundle in her arms smiling. _

_The man, Charlie, look a little thoughtful for a moment before he shrugged and went back to swinging the rope over the tall branch. The rope successfully made it over the branch and the other end of it came down. Charlie pulled the rope down so that the two ends are at the same level. He went over to the trunk of the tree where a tire lied and picked up the old rugged thing and walked over to the rope that was dangling in the air. _

"_Bella's going to love this. I know she will." Charlie said with the utmost confidence he could brave. Renee shook her head at him while cooing at the baby in her arms. Meanwhile, Charlie looped the ropes through the tire and tied it tightly with complex knots and wiped away the sweat forming along his forehead and upper lips where a thick mustache grew. He stepped away and looked proudly at his work and smiled a triumphant smile. "She's going to love this." he whispered to himself. Charlie turned to his wife and looked down at the baby girl. Her brown eyes shined with a curiosity only ever known to humans and they lit up unknowingly at the older man who stepped into her peripheral vision. Bella suddenly smiled and both her parents became so completely entranced by her that they hadn't noticed another presence stepping into their vicinity. _

_The young ravenous mountain lion stealthily moved close enough to Charlie before lunging for the older man. Renee screamed in horror and the baby in her arms began crying out hysterically. The mountain lion hooked its claws through Charlie's chest and blood spurted all over his plaid blue shirt before it closed its jaws onto Charlie's neck. The bite was so deep that it pierced through the windpipe and immediately snapped the man's neck vertebrae. Charlie was literally strangled to death and the lion's jaw suddenly made a grab for Charlie's head and bites through this skull with fangs piercing the brain, causing instant death. Gradually, Renee finally came to her senses and tried to run away after witnessing her husband's death, but the terrifying large cat charged at her and pinned her down to the ground and Renee hovered over the baby in a protective position. The mountain began to hook its claw into her back and Renee threw her head back and screamed out in pain as the talons pierced through her skin and ripping out her flesh. _

Alice snapped out of her vision, completely horrified by the fate of the two humans beneath the claws of a free-range mountain lion. Her eyes suddenly widened as she quickly remembered that the baby was still there. She immediately closed her eyes and breathed in, trying to find the scent of human blood again. Her eyes instantly opened and her feet were already moving towards the area of bloodshed before she even knew it. Alice must've travelled about fifteen miles because it took almost three and a half minutes before the smell of blood in the air thickened along with her temptation to feed. She quickened her speed and it took her just about twenty seconds before the bloody scene covered almost carelessly with leaves, dirt, and other debris began to manifest before her eyes. The mountain lion had dragged both of the humans into a denser cover to feed and both of the humans' abdominal cavities were completely opened. The man's middle was very close to being completely gone whereas the woman's midsection was about half consumed because part of her stomach and intestines hung out and pieces of her soft internal organs scattered messily near her. She felt the slight burn in the back of her throat but swallowed down the venom forming in her mouth, because it felt _wrong_ to feel the thirst for human blood then and there. She immediately held her breath and stopped breathing altogether to control her thirst and to stop the venom from continuing to pool in her mouth.

Alice sank to her feet and shut her eyes in anguish. Although it wasn't her kill, she couldn't completely stay indifferent and remorseless about the two losses. _The baby._ She remembered in a flash. Alice immediately opened her eyes and surveyed the surroundings and looking frantically for the tiny human, yet she could not see the small bundle she'd seen in her vision. Her shoulders dropped in regret after a few minutes of searching the area and she closed her eyes again to try and look for the little girl in her vision. The future turned up blank and she let out a painful cry that wasn't of her own accord. Her eyes snapped open at the unusual behavior she's just executed, and her thoughts began to be filled with concerns of why she was behaving the way she was.

Suddenly, a cry erupted from about half a mile away and Alice was instantly on her feet. She focused on the small mewling of a creature she thought she heard. The small cries continued to go on for a few seconds before it slowed down and gradually altered to very little whimpers. The sound was so beautiful that it caught Alice in a trance for almost two minutes before the sounds stopped entirely. Alice slowly recovered and her eyes began to be filled with hope as she tried to listen closely for a heartbeat. The moment the rhythms hit her ears, she almost felt like her dead heart was beating beneath her chest. Alice raised a hand to the left side of her upper chest and closed her eyes as the sound of blood pumping bled through her ears like a beautiful symphony. She took her hand away from her chest and began running in sync with the beat of the small human's heart. Even with her eyes closed, Alice was able to dodge any obstruction in the way of her destination. Just on cue, Alice opened her eyes three seconds before she reached the small bundle still laying in the spot where her mother had just hovered over her in Alice's vision. Alice slowed down to a stop when she's gotten ten feet away from the tiny human and began taking slow and careful steps towards the baby.

In the hopeless situation, Alice could only listen and feel the baby's slow and steady heartbeats. _So beautiful_, she thought to herself. Alice felt her feet carrying her closer to the beating heart, and she couldn't entirely understand why she wasn't lusting after the blood pumping in the tiny human's body. In a way, she felt relieved by that fact. Carefully, she let herself take a whiff of the air surrounding the two of them and her eyes widened at how intoxicating the smell was. She blurred over to the human immediately and crouched down attentively, instinctively anxious to protect and avoid causing danger to the tiny fragile infant. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, letting the scent set in and consume her completely. It was only when she felt something soft and warm touched her nose that she abruptly opened her eyes and blinked frantically in surprise.

"_Bella_…" she whispered, almost too low for any human ear to pick up on the fleeting sound. The baby's tiny hands had reached out to her face and touched her nose. Topaz eyes connected with small brown orbs, and in that moment, a fire sparked within Alice, and little did she know, her dead heart would never be able to spark by an irreplaceable spark again. That in the lonely frustration she has felt and experienced in the sixty-seven years since she's been _changed_, she was going to finally never be alone ever again.

The baby began to mewl again and Alice tried to pull herself together and untie the bundle to check the tiny human for any wounds. Alice heaved a sigh of relief once she found none other than the small laceration that was on the side of the infant's neck. Slowly, she began to cover the little human and gathered her in a small bundle again. Carefully, she lifted the baby up, nestling the little girl in the crooked of her arm to allow the baby's head to rest inside the inner part of her elbow with the length of the small body resting on her left forearm. She cradled the baby close to her, but tried to not squeeze the tiny human and crush her.

"_You'll be okay. You're with me now. I'll take care of you. I promise_." Alice whispered as she softly hushed the fragile little thing and gently rocked Bella back and forth in her arms. The baby quieted down and calmed a little before she moved her head slightly in Alice's arms, and Alice cooed at the baby's gentleness.

After standing in the backyard of the baby's deceased parents for nearly ten minutes, Alice finally made up her mind to run back to the Cullen's house. She looked back down to the small bundle in her arms and smiled as brown eyes met hers.

"_We're going home now, Bella_." she softly said before she wrapped her arms around Bella protectively and sprinted back into the woods. Alice ran slower than she usually did, afraid that it might upset the tiny frame in her arms. Surprisingly, Bella barely whimpered a few times before she stayed quiet for the rest of the way that Alice ran them home. After ten minutes of running, Alice finally saw the house that sat in the middle of the woods. As soon as she's gotten half a mile within her home, she saw all of her family members run out to the front of the house. It took her five seconds before she was standing before all of them, keeping a ten feet distance away just for precaution.

Alice made eye contact with each and every one of them and tried to search for any sign of danger before she stepped closer but still leaving a good five feet between them. She looked over to Edward who was now reading her mind and gathering all the information he needed to know about why she was cradling a baby in her arms. Alice watched as his face went through a series of emotions before settling down on a sorrowful expression. She looked back to Carlisle and Esme, who had curiosity and concern written all over their faces and she took another step forward with the comfort that there was no danger nearby. They all had their topaz colored eyes centered on the baby.

"Alice?" Carlisle finally spoke. He didn't need to ask her using too many words for her to know that he wanted to understand why there was a small child in her arms with a family of vampires. Except these vampires weren't like the usual ones who drained humans of their blood. No, the Cullens only hunted animals. They didn't agree with the lifestyle that most vampires took on, which was hunting humans. Each and every one of the Cullens hasn't hunted humans ever since they joined the family, whenever that was for each of them.

"The child's parents are deceased from a recent animal attack, Carlisle." Edward spoke up. Everybody looked towards him and he stepped forward, his eyes still lingering on the baby. "She found the child half a mile away from where her parents were fed on by a mountain lion. Their bodies were…almost completely detached from at the midsection. Alice… She… I think she… Do you want to tell them, Alice?" Edward lifted up his gaze and asked her. Alice nodded and stepped towards Carlisle and he finally looked at her from the small bundle in her arms.

"Yes, but Carlisle, I need you to fix her up first. She has a cut on the left side of her neck." Alice told him and he nodded quickly. She turned to Edward and silently asked him in her mind, _"Can you fill everyone in about what happened for me?"_ He nodded slightly and his eyes shifted back to the tiny human in her arms.

Carlisle led the way back into their home and they departed up the stairs into his office while everyone else stayed on the lower ground and gathered in the living room where Edward began filling them in of what happened. She knew that Carlisle could hear Edward, so she let her concentration go back to the small baby in her arms. They reached his office in good time and he set up a table in the middle of his office.

"May I?" Carlisle asked as he stepped towards Alice and reached out for the infant. Alice looked back down at Bella and saw the brown eyes staring right back at her. With a sad sigh, she carefully handed Bella over into Carlisle's patient and waiting arms. He meticulously set Bella down onto the table and began to uncover the small blanket that concealed her. His ears were still on alert as Edward was still retelling the story he had seen in her mind as he looked over Bella and bandaged her wound.

"Almost as good as new." Carlisle smiled at Alice before turning back around and cautiously lifting Bella off of the table. His left hand supported her neck, while the length of her tiny body rested in his right hand. Alice watched Bella adoringly as Carlisle held her effortlessly.

"What is her name?" he asked.

"_Bella_." Alice responded, never taking her eyes off of Bella.

Carlisle walked back to the Alice and transferred Bella back into Alice's arms, and Alice gently cradled Bella back into her body. She thanked Carlisle before they both headed out of his office and walked down the stairs and into the living room where the rest of the family members were awaiting their return.

"So…does this mean that I have a new baby sis?" Emmett asked hesitantly. Alice looked around the room to gauge everyone's reaction to the new arrival, especially staring at Jasper because he was the newest addition to the family and still had some trouble with the bloodlust. The moment their eyes met, Jasper nodded in Alice's direction and Alice noticed that he didn't look uncomfortable at all in the tiny human's presence. Alice smiled triumphantly before looking over at Rosalie who was staring intently at the baby in her arms.

"May I…hold her?" Rosalie asked almost unsurely. Rosalie was never one to be affected by anything or anyone but Emmett, and for Alice to see her become this _moved_ by Bella made Alice feel more confident that Bella had _already_ claimed a spot in their family. Alice merely nodded and Rosalie stood up from the loveseat that she was sitting on with Emmett, and she slowly walked over to Alice, almost too afraid that she'll startle the baby. When she was close enough, Alice placed Bella in Rosalie's arms and she took one step back, watching Rosalie with the utmost admiration she's ever had for the other vampire until this day. Rosalie's dead heart melted as she set her eyes on Bella's brown ones, quite unaware that she was smiling from ear to ear. Everyone in the room watched the interaction between the small human and the beautiful vampire with amusement written all over their expressions. Rosalie _never_ smiled for anyone other than her family, and she just smiled for Bella. Bella, who was merely a human. Bella, who she just met in the past ten minutes. Bella, who had _just_ won her heart over with a tiny yawn. Everyone in the room instantly cooed and smiled adoringly at the small creature in Rosalie's arms.

"She's so…_beautiful_." were the words Rosalie could only utter.

"Her name's _Bella_." Alice smiled lazily.

"How fitting." Esme added while grinning with joy.

"I agree." Jasper said and slowly nodded.

"Very lovely." Edward voiced and smiled at the small bundle of joy in Rosalie's arms.

"So…does this mean that I have a new baby sis _now_?" Emmett asked again quite impatiently. Everyone turned and stared at him after rolling their eyes.

"_YES, EMMETT!_" everyone joined in all at once. Everybody chuckled and began to slowly circle around Rosalie and the baby. The basked in her presence and looked at her lovingly.

"_Welcome home, Bella_." Alice whispered as Bella's brown eyes set on hers again and Bella smiled the beautiful smile that Alice had already seen in her vision. It really couldn't compare to the real thing.

_Bella_, Alice happily thought to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, I _hate_ to be the one to break up this party, but I was wondering how a house full of vampires could raise a child this _teeny_." Carlisle spoke up.

Everyone lifted up their gaze and turned to Carlisle who wore a thoughtful expression. While the room fell into a long silence beside the small sounds coming from Bella, Alice suddenly fell into a vision.

_After a long moment of silence, Carlisle decided to speak up once more. _

"_I see how you all are ready to accept her into the family, and as you can remember just a few moments ago, earlier I had agreed with letting her stay as well. I apologize for getting caught up in the moment, but I honestly believe we should think more rationally about this. She's a human child. Don't you all think she deserves to live amongst humans as well?" Carlisle inputted. _

_Everyone's excited expression fell from their face, and no sooner did everybody shared a pensive look. _

"_No_, she's my responsibility. _I _was the one who brought her home. I'll take care of her. _I promise_." Alice directed her gaze at Carlisle. "I _know_…she deserves to live among humans, and _she will _someday. It's just…can't we homeschool her until she's a little older? Maybe until she reaches high school? I… _Please, Carlisle_. We _can't_ just put her up for adoption. We _cannot_ put her in the system. Her parents had met such a horrible fate already. How can we just…_abandon_ her like that? Moving from one foster home to another for the first eighteen years of her life? We can help it. She can –"

"Bella is Alice's mate!" Edward cut in. Everyone turned to look at Edward in shock, Alice included.

"Is that…true, Alice?" Esme asked.

Alice lowered her eyes and stared at Bella's beautiful brown ones. _Was that why she felt the way she did? _Alice questioned herself. The overprotectiveness. The overwhelming concern she bears for Bella. The inexplicable happiness she found the moment she locked eyes with Bella. The unexplained reason why she ran home with Bella in her arms without a second thought. Everyone's widened eyes except for that of Edward and Alice's went from Bella to Alice, going back and forth for a whole minute before Alice decided to finally break the silence.

"A mate… _My_ mate. Edward, are you _sure_?" Alice's voice dropped to a whisper at the last word.

"But she's a _human_!" Rosalie screamed and jumped back across the room, and Bella began to cry from the sudden outburst. Rosalie tried to gently rock Bella back and forth in her arms, but Bella's cry just grew louder and louder. Alice could no longer watch and she blurred over to where Rosalie was, glaring at her and reaching out for the baby.

"She's _mine_!" Alice growled and Rosalie glared back. They both stare angrily at each other for another three seconds before Bella burst out another thundering cry. They both looked down and stare at the small bundle in Rosalie's arms.

"_Please_." Alice begged Rosalie. "She _needs_ me. _Please, Rosalie_." Rosalie looked from the baby to Alice, and her eyes were filled with hurt when she couldn't get Bella to stop crying. Rosalie reluctantly handed Bella over to Alice, and she watched as carefully wrap her arms around the tiny human.

Alice began singing softly and gently cradling Bella to her chest as she walked around the room. Slowly, Bella's cries settled down to small whimpers and Alice continued to sing and dance across the room as the family watched on with amused eyes as the scene unfolded before them.

_When you're feeling low,_

_Lower than the floor. _

_And you feel like you ain't got a chance. _

_Don't make a move till your in the groove. _

_And do the Peter Panda dance._

_Just hop three times like a kangaroo. _

_Sidestep twice just like those crabs do._

_Three steps forward, one step back._

_Quick like a turtle lie on your back._

_Roll like a log till you can't roll no more. _

_Better jump quick there ain't no floor._

_Hold your breath and jump to the left. _

_And that's the Peter,_

_I swear that's the Peter. _

_That's the Peter Panda Dance. _

Just as Alice finished singing the song for the third time, Bella had begun to yawn and close her eyes. Alice looked at Bella lovingly and smiled. _So beautiful_. Alice thought to herself.

"Indeed." Edward said aloud. Everyone but Alice turned to look at him and he quickly recovered from the goofy smile he wore on his face. "Well, Alice was thinking about how beautiful Bella was and I just unintentionally agreed with what she thought out loud." Edward explained in a low whisper as understanding began to permeate the room.

"She's adorable." Esme whispered with a gleam of pride in her eyes.

"I suppose we've reached the end of this discussion?" Carlisle spoke almost quietly. Everybody was nodding his or her heads in agreement whereas Emmett had a look of confusion on his face.

"Why are we all whispering?" Emmett asked in a low voice. Everyone chuckled quietly and Jasper pointed over to where Alice stood with Bella in her arms.

"Bella's sleeping." Jasper whispered. Emmett mouthed an "oh" and smiled from ear to ear as he quickly nodded as well.

"_Slowpoke_." Alice teased Emmett from across the room. Emmett playfully glared at Alice but then suddenly smirked.

"Better watch out, strawberry shortcake. The only reason you're not lying face down on the ground right now is because you got that tiny human in your arms." Emmett playfully threatened her. Before he could start snickering, Rosalie backhanded the rear of his head.

"_Ow!_ Rosalie! That hurts!" Emmett tried his best to say it in an undertone before pouting.

"Serves you right for threatening a woman holding a small infant." Rosalie said in response before turning over to Alice and giving her an apologetic smile. Alice nodded and acknowledged Rosalie's apology before lowering her gaze back down to Bella.

"Alright. Seeing as we all have nothing better to do, why don't we go shop for baby necessities while Alice stay here and watch Bella?" Carlisle suggested. Everyone looked at each other and shrugged before agreeing.

"Alice, do you need anything dear?" Esme asked.

"Well, some formula milk, diapers, baby wipes, baby powder, baby pacifiers, teething ring, toys, clothes, a cradle, some – " Alice went on before Edward cut her off.

"Alice, stop. Wouldn't you think that Rosalie and Esme would load up twenty entire shopping carts with all of those things?" Edward chuckled.

"Just reminding you all to get the important stuff before they go wild with the cute baby clothes." Alice smiled before she positioned Bella to rest on her left forearm and pointed an index finger at her right temple. "Bella's going to be hungry and cranky when she wakes up. So please, get her formula milk first and some baby diapers, wipes, and powder before you let Esme and Rose go on a baby shopping spree."

They all nodded and smile at Alice one last time before running out of the house. Alice looked down at Bella in her left arm and softly touched Bella's tiny nose with her free hand.

"_You _are such a cutie." Alice whispered before leaning down to kiss Bella's button nose.

**A/N: The song is called the "Peter Panda Dance" from the movie _The Pacifier_. **


	3. Chapter 3

"Woo wee! Alice! Is that _you_?" Emmett teased as he pinched his nose. Everyone's faces scrunched up as well and Alice picked Bella up and stretched the tiny human out in front of her. Alice narrowed her eyes at Bella as Bella stared back innocently with curious brown eyes. Slowly, Alice brought Bella closer to her face and sniffed lightly before she blurred over to the cradle, which was surrounded by toys and all baby things, at the corner of the living room. Bella began to cry and everybody's head quickly shot up and stared at Alice.

"Carlisle! Why does she smell so…_god-awful_?" Alice threw her right hand up to her face to cover her nose while she directed her left pointing finger at Bella crying in the baby crib.

"Well, Alice, humans have _certain_ needs. Eating, expelling waste matter, and drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated are some examples of those _needs_. As for Bella, she's still an infant, so she requires a _bit_ more help than an average matured human. That being said, we need to constantly help feed her, change her diapers, and make sure she gets enough sleep." Carlisle said as matter of fact and hoping that the rest of the family had caught on.

"So…what _exactly_ do we do about that _offensive_ smell, Carlisle?" Alice questioned him. Edward rolled his eyes and looked at his sister in a '_you've got to be kidding me_' sort of way.

"What he _means_ is that Bella's just…_discharged_ waste matter from her bowels after her feeding an hour ago, and she needs _help_ getting her diaper changed, Alice." Edward said with a look of disgust on his face. Emmett chose that moment to burst out laughing, and unfortunately the big man was guffawing so loud, Bella started crying even louder than she had before.

"Emmett!" Alice yelled at him and Rosalie sidestepped Jasper to go over to the couch to slap the back of her husband's head.

"Shut it, monkey man. You're scaring the small child!" Rosalie hissed at him. Emmett's laughter came to a complete stop, and he miraculously found the decency to quiet down for the tiny human still wailing in the baby's cradle.

Alice looked torn between wanting to go and help change Bella's diaper and running out of the house to get away from the repugnant smell. It was times like these where she despised her heightened sense of smell, an attribute to being a vampire. Alice felt ashamed that she couldn't even deal with this manageable hurdle and bowed her head down in embarrassment of it. Luckily, Esme saw how tattered Alice was over not being able to adjust to Bella's human needs right away and instantly appeared by Bella's baby crib and lifted her out of cradle.

"I'll help change her. I've done this before when I practiced nursing a while ago." Esme smiled. Alice's looked up and her face lit up immediately in gratitude for Esme's kind gesture.

"_Esme_…" Alice uttered in appreciation, eyes brimming with tears that threatened to fall but never would.

"I must admit, I've never changed a little human before. _This _shall be interesting." Esme added before she zipped up the stairs and went into the baby room that they had set up earlier when the family all came back from their baby-shopping trip.

"And here I thought you knew everything there was about taking of a baby when you listed the things we needed to buy earlier." Rosalie placed both her hands on each side of her hips and stared expectantly at Alice.

Alice raised her right hand to her face and squeezed the two sides of her temple before closing her eyes. Shaking her head back and forth with the situation at hand, she thought real hard about how she was going to deal with Bella's other human needs. Alice then felt a hand rest on her shoulder and she began to calm down. Alice immediately knew that it was Jasper using his gift on her to erase all her worries and anxiety.

"Thanks Jasper," she whispered before opening her eyes.

Esme was now standing next to Carlisle with Bella in her arms no longer crying. Alice was so immersed in fretting over Bella earlier that she hadn't even noticed when Esme had come down the stairs with her beloved in Esme's motherly arms.

"_Bella_…" the word escaped her lips instinctively when she locked eyes with the small brown orbs staring back at her. Bella smiled almost immediately and Alice raced over to where Esme and Carlisle were standing.

"I think she misses your voice, dear. While I was changing her, those little doe-eyes kept on darting all over the room searching for something. _Someone _if I am correct." Esme grinned as she handed Bella over into Alice's waiting arms.

"_Is that true_?" Alice whispered softly as she stared into Bella's warm brown eyes. Bella tinkled a few soft sounds like that of a baby, and Alice's smile widened almost second naturedly.

"Esme, you are a godsend, you know that?" Edward commented before dashing over to Alice's side and glanced down at the little human. Esme chuckled and leaned into the crooked of Carlisle's arm as they both watched their children gather around the small wonder that had brought their family joy like never before.

"I_ do _think that we should all take this as a lesson learned. Raising a human baby is no child's play. There are serious consequences for even the _tiniest_ error we make around her. I'd also like to add that we be _ten times_ gentler with Bella since she is quite fragile in this miniature form of a human." Carlisle proposed. Everybody nodded their head in agreement with his advice and Esme decided to speak up at that moment as well.

"Although it was Alice who brought Bella home, we _all _need to share the responsibility of taking care of Bella. She is _family _now. That includes you, Emmett Cullen." Esme looked pointedly at him as she said this. He stood up straight and saluted her.

"Yes, ma'am!" Emmett acknowledged her command as he tried to keep a straight face on. Everyone chuckled at his silliness, including Esme, and they all returned their gazes to Bella.

"Bella baby, you will make one _hell_ of a kickass Emmett Cullen Jr. someday." Emmett pronounced proudly.

Alice coughed and glared Emmett's way and he looked over at her with a goofy smile already plastered on his face.

"Go find your _own_ 'Emmett Cullen Jr_.'_." Alice said lightheartedly, but everyone knew there was a heavyweight meaning in the tone that she had used. Alice returned her gaze to Bella and discovered that Bella's eyes had never left her features.

"She's _my _Bella_._" Alice laid claim on the tiny human right before she fell into a vision of Bella yawning in exactly one minute and twenty-two seconds.

* * *

**A/N: We're going to shift gears in the next chapter, folks. Hold on tight and enjoy the ride! :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**_3 months later_**

Jasper reaches for the remote control with as light movement as he possibly can manage. Before the fingertips of his right hand could reach the handle, Edward snatched it up with a swift movement and settled down next to him on Jasper's left side. Edward went on to change the channels and finally came to a stop when a basketball game was on. Reading minds did come in handy at times like these.

"How long has she been asleep?" Edward asked in a low whisper. Jasper looked down to the tiny human lying on his chest napping away for the past hour and smiled at how warm it was where the child lies. He could've mistaken it for warmth that came from his heart if he hadn't known his heart has stopped beating a long time ago. _A little over an hour, _Jasper thought for Edward to read. Edward nodded in silence and returned his eyes back to the television screen.

They sat quietly, watching the mute big screen and waiting for Bella to wake up. The only sound that drifted through the room was the small sounds coming from the tiny human sleeping soundly. It had been the most riveting three months the vampires have ever experienced. Feeding, bathing, changing diapers, and watching the little girl as she slowly became an individual of her own in-between the chaotic environment of vampires fussing over every mini decision of what was best for the tiny human. Everything sort-of fell into a routine after a few bickering and compromise. It was really Esme who kept everyone in order, reminding them of when they were scheduled to care for the little girl although none of them needed any reminders with their excellent memory.

Alice rarely left Bella's side, only to go hunt and shopping for a few hours. It wasn't exactly that way at first. For the first two weeks that Bella was living with the Cullens, Alice had refused to leave to go hunt, asserting that Bella _needed_ her there. When it finally came to the attention of the Cullens of what was happening, Carlisle had began to demand that it was absolutely necessary for her to leave and go hunt, not tolerating Alice's choice of starving herself and increasing the chance of bringing harm to Bella's well-being. Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie had to practically drag her out of the house to feed. This went on for about a month of everyone taking turns to drag Alice out of the house to hunt, and finally, Alice had realized how much distress she was causing everyone before she gave in and went to hunt on her own, usually going for a quick meal and returning to Bella's side in ten minutes or less. Once it came to the point of Alice developing separation anxiety problems of being away from Bella for too long, Carlisle had begin to suggest that Rosalie take Alice to go shopping again as well. It took Alice a while to adjust and become comfortable enough for her to stay away from Bella for several hours, but she eventually understood that it was necessary. Alice still missed her terribly, but she was finally able to go about doing the things she usually does before Bella's arrival.

Two months had gone by before they all had even realized it, and the girls plus one Emmett were out shopping while Carlisle was working at the hospital, leaving Bella in Jasper and Edward's care. It wouldn't be too long before everyone would come home anyway.

Bella began to wake up on Jasper's chest, yawning once before slowly opening her eyes. Her small hands wiggle around and she tried to stretch her fingers in amusement to the little movements she could make. Jasper and Edward watched delightfully as she woke up little by little, not in the slightest tire of the small actions she made even though they've seen her do it hundreds of times before. Bella's eyes began to wander and Jasper took this as his cue to reposition her in his arms, letting her sit in his lap and allowing the length of her spine to lean against his cold hard abdomen. Bella's brown orbs set about surveying the living room they were sitting in, enjoying the black and white patterns her eyes can distinguish rather than the red and orange that was too alike for her to differentiate with her newborn eyes.

Bella's eyes light up as she saw the toy zebra lying on the floor next to her baby crib, and she began to gurgle cute baby sounds. Edward laughs and Jasper looks at him in confusion but with a grin on his face from the adorable sounds coming from Bella.

"She likes the stuffed zebra," Edward responded before blurring across the room and picking up the black and white patterned toy. He zipped back to his spot next to Jasper and gently handed Bella the zebra.

"Ah, that explains the babbling." Jasper commented before taking hold of the toy that had fallen out of Bella's uncoordinated small hands. Several sounds bubbled from Bella and the gents enjoyed themselves to the musical tones coming from the small human as she tried to get a firmer grab on the stuffed animal.

Alice just parked her yellow Porsche 911 Turbo in the family garage along with Rosalie and her red BMW M3 convertible when she heard the most melodious sound coming from inside the house. Alice and Rosalie were the first to set their feet outside the car before they perched their ears up to listen more carefully as Emmett and Esme began to open the passenger doors. Without a second thought, Alice raced inside the house towards the alluring sound, leaving the driver's door wide open. Rosalie, Esme, and Emmett all had knowing smiles on their features and shook their heads after Alice's sudden disappearance.

Alice ran into the living room where the sweet-sounding notes were coming from and stopped abruptly just in front of Jasper. Alice then knelt down onto her knees and stared lovingly at Bella as the small child went on playing with the toy zebra.

"_Bella_…" Alice breathed in awe. Bella tinkled a few more sounds before looking up into warm-looking topaz eyes that were admiring her.

"Ba!" Bella burbled happily. Alice's eyes widened in shock and look up to find her brothers' equally stunned expressions. Alice brought her gaze back to Bella and stared at her wondrously.

"_Bella?_" Alice queried with a slight confused look. Bella let go of the toy zebra, which fell to the floor, and happily clapped her hands together.

"Ba!" Bella tried to imitate Alice again. Alice's face broke into a huge smile and she reached for Bella and brought the small infant into her own arms. Bella snuggled into Alice's cold arms and smile up at Alice as she made low cooing sounds, letting Alice know her contentment. Alice bent down and kissed Bella's nose and Bella intuitively closed her eyes at the cold contact. As Alice begins to pull back, Bella chose this moment to raise her hands up and place them on each of Alice's cold cheeks.

"Ba!" Bella happily gurgled again to get a reaction out of her. Alice leaned into Bella's warm tiny hands and closed her eyes in contentment and smiled blissfully, not fully believing that she could be _this _happy. After a few moments of listening to Bella bubble several vowels adorably, Alice finally opened her eyes to stare into Bella's brown ones.

"Yes, _Bella_." Alice confirmed. For Alice, it felt like the proudest moment she's ever had even though it wasn't her own accomplishment. Bella was _finally_ making progress to communicate in a new way other than crying, smiling, and moving her arms and legs now.

In the background, the family chuckled and watched in awe at Alice and Bella's loving interaction. By some kind of miracle, the little girl continued to amaze them each and every single day with her simple tactics.

Life for the Cullens would never grow tiring with Bella around. That's for sure.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: One of the guest readers asked if Edward can read Bella's thoughts, and the answer to that is **_**Yes**_**. In the previous chapter, he was able to tell that Bella was fond of the toy zebra because he had read her mind. I hope that clarifies some things for you, **_**Guest reader**_**.**

* * *

_**8 months later**_

"Bella…" Emmett threatened the one-year-old with a pointed a finger, but in the end, it was a fruitless effort to try to stop her from throwing the cup at him. Emmett ducked before the cup could hit him and just at the _right_ moment, a curious Alice began to walk in and wonder what all the commotion in the kitchen between the silly seventy-three years old vampire and the one-year-old human child was about. Before she could even react, the cup smacked right into her face and she jumped back and got into a defensive position to shield herself from any further attacks. Emmett rose from behind the chair he hid behind and looked over at Alice to see the damage that was done. Before Alice could utter a single word, Bella's laugh tinkered throughout the kitchen and the two vampires immediately glanced over to the frivolous toddler. Esme and Rosalie chose that exact moment to make their entrance into the kitchen, and Esme shook her head and smiled at the tiny human sitting in the highchair as Rosalie leaned her right aside against the entrance frame. Esme walked over to the kitchen countertop to grab a towel and began to make her way over to clean up the water that spilled all over the floor from Bella's cup.

Alice walked over to Bella with both hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes at the small child to reprimand her. Bella continued to giggle and clapped her hands together and stretched her hands out to reach for Alice excitedly, thinking the vampire would bend down and take Bella into her arms. Alice shook her head and began to chastise the little human.

"_No_, Bella. That was a no-no." Alice asserted and stepped back to emphasize her words. Bella's laughing gradually came to a halt and she began to stare at Alice confusedly. Bella decided to try again and reached her arms out for Alice, but Alice only raised her eyebrows in disbelief and took another big step back from the child.

"_No_." Alice repeated herself with more force. Bella began to pout and her eyes darted over to Emmett and tried to reach out for him. Seeing that Emmett was about to give in to Bella's doe-eyes, Alice glanced over and gave him a glare, daring him to come close if he wished to suffer from dire consequences of doing so. Emmett whined almost too lowly for the tiny human to hear, and Esme tried to hold in her laughter at the scene unfolding before her.

Alice then returned her gaze to Bella, who was now staring at her again with those beautiful brown eyes. Alice crossed her arms across her chest and quirked an eyebrow, leaning her body weight on one leg as the other began to tap lightly against the floor.

"What do you say?" Alice asked with an authoritative voice. Bella's face scrunched up in confusion and Alice rolled her eyes at the cute expression on Bella's features.

"Bella…that was a _no-no_. What do you say when you do something _wrong_?" Alice asked softly this time around. Bella's eyes light up and she began to smile.

"Peach!" Bella answered excitedly. Rosalie, Emmett, and Esme giggled at the child's misinterpretation of Alice's words. Alice's shoulders dropped and she uncrossed her arms and began to walk towards the fridge to pull out a peach. Bella's eyes began to shine and Alice shook her head at the tiny human bouncing up and down lightly in her highchair in excitement.

"_This_ is a peach." Alice pointed at the fruit before setting it aside on the long dining table. Bella frown in response to Alice taking the fruit away. Bella's brows furrowed as she looked back at Alice who was now standing in front of her and staring expectantly into her brown eyes.

"What do you say when you do something _wrong_, Bella?" Alice asked again. Bella's frown stayed plaster to her face for five more seconds before her brown orbs began to glimmer again.

"_Pwease_?" Bella tried again but with a little bit of uncertainty. Alice let out an exasperated sigh and bit down on her lower lips to try to contain her frustrations with the child.

"No… Here, let me help you out. It starts with the letter '_S_'." Alice added with a hopeful glint in her topaz eyes. Bella sank back in her highchair and tried to wiggle her way out of it unsuccessfully, trying to cause a fit.

"No, Bella. Stay." Alice said more firmly. Bella stopped trying to fight and escape from her highchair and pouted once more.

"_Bells no-no_…" Bella said softly. Now it was Alice's turn to beam excitedly.

"Yes, go on…" Alice urged the small child with a smile in her eyes.

"_Bells_…_sowwy_…" Bella tried to get the two words out slowly but precisely. Alice's eyes lit up in satisfaction with the child's response.

"Yes, Bella. Now…" Alice grabbed for the peach on the glass table before continuing, "Does Bella want some _peach_?" Bella's pout went away immediately and she nodded her head excitedly at the fruit. Before Alice could even move, Esme dashed across the room and took the peach out of Alice's hand.

"I'll cut it up, dear." Esme leaned in and kissed Alice on the cheek. "Well done, Alice." Esme said proudly with a tiny glint in her eyes as she blurred over to the sink to wash the fruit.

Alice looked down at Bella and smiled lovingly at the tiny human who continued to fill her dead heart with love and happiness. Bella reached up for Alice again, and this time, Alice did not deny her and took Bella into her arms. Alice lightly tapped her pointing finger onto Bella's nose, and Bella giggled happily in response.

"You're growing up so fast…" Alice began to utter in amazement. Bella leaned in and wrapped her tiny arms around Alice's neck and set her head down on Alice's cold shoulder. Alice smiled blissfully at the warm breath blowing softly against the side of her neck and leaned her head gently atop of Bella's as she slowly danced around the kitchen with light movements. Bella cooed and tinkled several small sounds closely into Alice's ear, and Alice hummed in response as they skitter fluidly across the marble kitchen floor.

No one really understood why Bella didn't just set her cup down gently after she's finished drinking water. Ever since she's been able to drink from the cup herself, the vampires had learned to start ducking because she's just as likely to toss it when she finishes.

Alice shook her head in wonderment as the frivolous infant continued to coo into her ears. _Such a little adorable monster_, Alice thought and hummed. It was only half a second later that she heard Edward's chuckle coming from the living room and she continued to smile contently as the warmth emanating from the tiny human in her arms made a home in her dead heart.

"_I love you_." Alice whispered quietly into Bella's ear.


	6. Chapter 6

_**One year later…**_

It was difficult to avoid people's stare when one possesses such inhumane beauty. It was an attribute of being a vampire that was both a blessing and a curse. Of course, no one understood this better than Rosalie of all the Cullens. But let's just save Rosalie for another time and place.

Esme was effortlessly pushing the grocery cart when the tiny human began to rattle off a sentence of gibberish. The little chatterbox could go on and on about anything and everything. It was a _wonder_ how many words she had picked up over the year, yet she liked to play pretend that she wasn't _well beyond her years_. There were some perks of her childish plays, because it would be a _wonder_ to explain to strangers how a toddler her age had the reading level of a five-year-old and spoke clear sentences without any stutter. Well, they could always share the obvious reason that she was living in a house full of vampires who had limitless knowledge of the world, and spoke to her like they would with one another instead of dumbing down their language. Except they couldn't do that. It was against the _rules_ to expose their true nature after all.

Carlisle _had _to call Aro and tell him about their new addition a month ago when Alice had a vision of Aro finding out when he sent Jane and Felix to pay them a visit. They couldn't risk being found out first, so they finally decided as a family to call the Volturi's and informed them about Bella. At first, the royal vampire was intrigued by the news of a plus one to the Cullen household. Gradually, the tense vampire beside him, Caius, began to go off about how dangerous it is for their _kind_ that a tiny human was living amongst them. Luckily, Marcus, the more reasonable vampire, jumped in and saved the conversation. Alas, Aro finally consented to Bella's stay with the Cullen, but on one _condition_. That she were to be _turned_ before she come to the age of twenty-five. Everyone was upset, especially Edward, with the terms that Aro had set, but reluctantly agreed because they had grown too attach to Bella to abandon her. The other reason being that she was Alice's _mate_, which they informed Aro of as well. They couldn't _imagine _what would happen to Alice if Bella could no longer _be_ with them. Nobody had really wanted to face the music if they were ever to make that decision.

All in all, it was a choice that the Cullens knew they'd never regret. Bella grew up beautifully in the last two years and filled their lives with pure happiness and innocent love that naturally radiated off of her. She learned quickly and enjoyed being read to more than anything. The one thing that really blew everyone's mind was when she took her first step. Actually, it was more like her first _run_. Until Bella was thirteen-month-old, she had never been able to walk or crawl. Everyone but Carlisle was worried whether she might be slower in motor skills than any other average infant. Instead of crawling or walking, Bella was able to sit by herself. She was always carried around otherwise, and wherever they sat her, that was usually where she stayed quietly until they picked her up. Then one day, she just simply plucked herself up from the ground by grabbing the coffee table for support and dashed across the living room like she's been doing it forever. Rosalie, who had been sitting there and leisurely flipping through a Cosmopolitan magazine, gasped in shock and her eyes widened to the point where they could've possibly reached her hairline. Alice, who had been out hunting, had a vision of it, and Edward, who was sitting at the piano, had read Rosalie's mind and raced over to her side right away. Bella laughed as waves of quick air surrounded her when Alice sprinted through the front door and carefully engulfed the little human in a warm embrace. It was Bella's biggest feat so far. When Carlisle had gotten home to everybody watching Bella walk clumsily around the living room, picking up toys here and there and dropping them with bubbling giggles, he smiled with pride and explained to everyone that research has shown that crawling wasn't a necessary step for a child before he or she learns to walk or run. They all awed and cooed as she walked around on unsteady feet, and it wasn't until Bella fell asleep in Alice's arms that they all began to disperse.

"Oh, really? How interesting." Esme mused as Bella babbled on about God-knows-what. Esme smiled as the little human continued to bubble on while they leisurely cruised through the vegetable aisle and stopped by the broccoli section.

"Peach!" Bella squealed as she spotted her favorite fruit. Esme shook her head with a grin and went ahead to push the grocery cart over to the stand where the peaches were. Examining a few different peaches, Esme grabbed a few before she was interrupted by a voice from behind. All too concern with trying to choose juicy peaches for Bella, Esme had not paid much attention to her surroundings.

"_Hello Miss_…" a male's deep voice sounded from behind her. Esme turned around while in the middle of holding a peach in each hand, and smiled at the stranger that stood before her. He was a man who looked about in his early thirties.

"Well hello, may I help you?" Esme asked nicely. The man reached his hand out and began to introduce himself.

"Oh no, I just wanted to come over and say hello. My name is Noah." the middle age man threw in a flirty grin after he finished. Esme looked at him strangely for a brisk moment before she put the peaches back and took his hand and shook it with a firm hold.

"Esme." she quickly said in response. Noah's eyebrows rose a bit and looked down at the hand that she was shaking.

"Your hand's quite cold." Noah commented and Esme shrugged nonchalantly.

"Poor blood circulation." Esme cleverly responded.

"Anyway, I think you're really beautiful and…I was wondering if you wanted to go grab coffee sometime?" he asked with a charming smile. Esme looked taken aback by his words and was quite at a loss for words, trying to find a way to let the man down easy.

"_Who are you?_" a voice snapped from behind Esme. Noah's face scrunched up in confusion and he stepped around Esme to see who was addressing him. Lo and behold, it was a little girl standing up in the shopping cart with both hands on either side of her hips. Noah looked back to Esme to find her trying to hold back a smile and was stuck in a daze until the same voice addressed him once more.

"_Hello Mister_, I'm over _here_!" Bella yelled and Noah turned back to stare at the little girl who was interrupting his time with _Esme_.

"And you are…?" he questioned with a pretentious sweet smile.

"Bella Cullen." she answered with pride. Noah blinked a few times and then proceeded to talk but was immediately cut off.

"_Freeze!_" she commanded him and Noah quirked an eyebrow in response. Bella turned to Esme and put on a pout as the woman tried to suppress a laugh. "Momma, can we go home and have peach now?" Bella asked sweetly. Noah's eyes widened and he looked between the beautiful woman who looked like she was barely over twenty and the little girl who was reaching out to her. Esme scooped Bella into her arms and leaned in to kiss her soft warm cheek before turning to Noah.

"I'm sorry, Noah, I can't. As you can see, my hands are a bit _full_ right now. It was nice meeting you." Esme quickly added before she put Bella back into the seat in the grocery cart and started pushing it far away from the man. As soon as they were out of Noah's hearing, Esme began to laugh almost uncontrollably.

"Oh, my sweet darling. Thank you!" Esme exclaimed as she held Bella's face in both her hands before leaning down to kiss Bella's forehead.

"That man stinks, Momma! I didn't want _my peaches_ to smell like him." Bella harrumphed with arms crossed as Esme began double over the grocery cart and dissolved into laughter again.

After about a minute, Esme started to come down from her high of laughing so hard and stared at Bella lovingly. Bella grabbed one of Esme's hands and brought it up to her face and breathed in deeply.

"I like your strawberry and rose smell better." Bella smiled before pulling Esme's hand closer to her face.

"Thank you, Bella. Now…let's go home and have some peach, shall we?" Esme asked and Bella nodded excitedly.

"Can _I_ wash them?" Bella begged. Esme smiled and nodded before they headed towards the checkout line.

_Oh Bella_, Esme thought lovingly.


	7. Chapter 7

_**6 months later…**_

"_Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!_" Bella squealed excitedly as she ran down the hallway. As soon as she got near the door, Bella rose up her small hand to the doorknob but couldn't extend her short arms long enough to get to it. She tried again and again but even on her tippy toes, she could not quite reach it yet. After the sixth try, she finally decided to pound her small hands against the door and silently wished that Carlisle would come to the door and open it. Just like clockwork, the doorknob twisted open painstakingly slow that tested the toddler's patience, and the pout on her face was the first thing that greeted the three hundred and forty-nine years old vampire when he looked down at the small child.

"Daddy!" Bella squeaked as she ran up to his legs and wrapped her tiny arms around them. Carlisle smiled affectionately at his youngest child and leaned down to pick her up. Bella, seeing what Carlisle was about to do, reached her arms up and prepared herself to be lifted off the ground. Once they were at the same eye-level, Bella leaned in and kissed his cold nose. It was a habit that she had picked up from Alice over the last two and a half years.

"Well hello there, Isabella. What's got you so chirpy on this grand evening?" Carlisle asked with a glint of mirth in his topaz eyes. Bella wiggled around in his arms for a little while before setting her hands on both side of his face.

"Daddy, what's _chirpy_?" Bella tried to enunciate the word clearly with curious eyes. Carlisle chuckled slightly and then pretended to put on a thinking face even though he already knew the answer to her simple question.

"Well… What do you think it means, Bella?" Carlisle challenged her with another question. Bella's face scrunched up in deep thought before she looked Carlisle straight in the eyes again.

"Does it mean that I'm a_ bird_?" Bella asked. Laughter can be heard downstairs and Carlisle smiled at the innocent child's thought process.

"Huh… It sure makes a lot of sense now that you've mentioned it. I've always _wondered _why you flew backwards like a hummingbird when you fall." Carlisle slowly mused. Snickers continued to resonate downstairs as Bella's face drew to a pout once more.

"But if _I'm _a bird, _you're _a bird, Daddy!" Bella quickly exclaimed as her hands began to rub all over his face and hair in search of something. Emmett began laughing so hysterically, Bella's head twisted slightly to gauge the sound she thought she heard that emitted from downstairs. When she can only make out silence, Bella turned her attention back to Carlisle and began to run her hands over his face and hair all over again.

"What is it, child?" Carlisle questioned as Bella's eyes continued to roam his face.

"You don't have any feathers!" Bella's face wrinkled with confusion once more. Carlisle shook his head in response to the child's silliness and went about striding down the stairs with the little munchkin's tiny hands continuing its quest of looking for feathers.

Alice glided across the living room and waited at the bottom of the stairs as Carlisle stroll down the steps at a slow humanly pace. As he set foot on the last step, Carlisle stopped right before Alice and quickly returned his gaze to the small human in his arms.

"Perhaps Alice could explain to you why I _don't_ have feathers." Carlisle smiled and Bella's hands dropped from his cold features after a few seconds. Bella turned in his arms to face Alice and she reached out with her arms as Alice leaned in and stretched her arms out for Bella. Once the tiny human was situated in Alice's arms, she walked over to the living room with Carlisle in tow where the family was sitting. Carlisle walked over and sat down next to Esme in the loveseat, and Alice took the lone armchair that sat beside them. After sitting down and having Bella perched on her lap, Alice brought her eyes back down to connect with the brown orbs staring at her expectantly.

"Well, first of all, Carlisle's_ not_ a bird." Alice said and then shook her right pointing finger at the child. "_Ah uh_." she said to keep Bella quiet when the toddler wanted to talk. "Secondly, you've been watching too much of _The Notebook_, Bella." Alice smiled as the rest of the family chuckled when Bella put on a sulky expression.

"No! _You_ always make me watch it, Allie." Bella pulled a face as she pointed a tiny finger against Alice's chest. Emmett guffawed from the seat across them while Rosalie tried to hide her smile behind the magazine that she was holding. Edward couldn't help snickering as he read everyone's mind about how they all, but Alice, agreed that it is _she_ who watches the movie all the time, not Bella. Alice looked over at Edward and gave him a questioning look, but he just dismissed her with a wave of a hand, and she immediately looked back at the two and a half years old sitting in her lap.

"Okay silly human, you win." Alice willingly gave up to appease the little girl.

"But Daddy says that I'm a bird!" Bella argued, which only caused Alice to roll her eyes but smile nonetheless.

"No, he didn't." Alice insisted. Bella began to pout and attempted to wiggle out of Alice's hold on her. Unwillingly, Alice had to let the small child go and her smile began to falter as Bella sauntered over to Carlisle and Esme instead of staying with her. As Bella stood in front of him, she put both her hands on his bent knees and gave him the most serious look a child can simply muster.

"Daddy! Tell Allie that you said I was chirpy!" Bella demanded. Esme simply couldn't hold in her laughter any longer and began chortling beside him. This made Bella even more determined to get her point across. "_Daddy_…" Bella whined. Carlisle stared adoringly at his child, while he try to keep in a chuckle of his own to show the tiny human his respect for her innocent belief.

"Bella darling, the word _chirpy_ does not involve being a warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrate with the possession of feathers, wings, a beak, and being able to fly. _Chirpy _simply means being cheerful or energetic, dear child." Carlisle explained. The small creases between Bella's eyebrows began to disappear and Alice slowly crept over on her knees to where Bella was standing. Bella felt a poke on her side and yelped. Before Bella could fly backwards as she usually does, strong cold arms saved her from hitting the ground, and Bella was suddenly staring up into warm topaz eyes filled with love that she only understood as an unconditional entity that all family members shared with one another. Alice surely didn't mind it right now, but she could only hope that someday Bella would be able to understand the love that Alice has for her.

Alice stood up with Bella in her arms and began to rock her back and forth in a gentle motion, and Bella smiled up at her with sleepy eyes.

"Well, it was nice being a bird for four minutes and thirty-two seconds, right?" Alice joked as Bella began to slowly nod off. Bella fought sleep and tried to turn upright in Alice's arms and she laid her head against Alice's cold shoulder where she most often found comfort.

"_You're a bird_…_too_…" Bella yawned the last part before slowly inching into the crooked of Alice's neck as she rested her small hands against right above Alice's chest.

"Yeah…I am, aren't I?" Alice smiled as she danced across the room and rocked Bella to sleep. Alice darted her eyes around the living room before she could find Bella's blankie. As though following Alice's gaze, Jasper quickly reappeared by her side and gently draped the baby blanket on top of Bella and smiling before he went back to his seat next to Edward.

"_Bird_…" Bella repeated herself as she began to drift off to dreamland.

"_Good night and sweet dreams, my little birdie_." Alice whispered lovingly as she then kissed the top of her head.


	8. Chapter 8

_**6 months later…**_

As Emmett debated with Jasper and Edward about whose turn it was to go grocery shopping, a thirty-six inches three-year-old was stealthily climbing up to the rail at the top of the stairs without the men's knowledge.

"Jasper went last week and I did it the week before that, so it's _clearly_ your turn to go." Edward put forward his strongest argument. Jasper nodded in agreement and Emmett pouted.

"But _Edward_…" the big burly man whined before going on. "I can't go _alone_ with all those humans there. I'll stick out like a sore thumb!" Emmett protested. Jasper shook his head and smiled sympathetically, whereas Edward just gave Emmett a pointed look. Before any of the men can add another word to the conversation, a thirty-six pounds weight landed right onto Emmett's shoulders and he shrieked from complete surprise.

"_Bella!_" the three men yelled a little too late as the tiny human began tinkering the most melodious laugh, which echoed throughout the house. Fortunately, Emmett had grabbed onto her sides in time before she fell off of his shoulders, small feet dangling against his hard-bodied chest.

"Bella…" Edward chided gently with a threatening undertone. Bella leaned forward to rest her chin atop Emmett's head and tried to wrap her arms around it but her upper limbs were too short and her little hands only ended up covering Emmett's topaz eyes. Edward's eyes softened and he tried to hold back a smile at image of the cute little girl before them.

"Bella Bear, I can't see!" Emmett whined as he took his hands away from the child and threw his arms around wildly in front of him. Bella moved her small hands and rested them against his forehead instead and Emmett dramatically sighed in relief, causing Bella to giggle and snuggle closer to him on his shoulders.

"Is that better now?" Bella delightfully asked. Emmett nodded his head only to realize too late that he was causing the little girl to sway back and forth on his shoulders.

"Emme – " Bella fell backwards and before she could hit the floor, Jasper quickly dove for her and swooped her into his arms right in time for the rescue. The little girl let out a sigh of relief before wrapping her small arms around Jasper's neck and laying her head down to rest on his shoulder. Emmett laughed as the two men scowled at him for having the tiny human fall and almost injuring herself if she were to hit the floor.

"That's not funny!" Bella pouted as Emmett roared with another round of laughter.

"Oh yeah? You were laughing not so long ago when you jumped off from the top of the stairs and landed right onto my shoulders, Bella Bear. Wait until I tell Esme about _that._ She's going to have a field day with that one." Emmett smirks wickedly before putting his chin up in the air with his arms crossed. Bella's pout turned into a frown and her lips suddenly started to quiver. When the small whimpers began, Emmett's smirk slipped away immediately and he started to frown as he realized what was going to come next. Emmett returned his gaze to Bella only to see her doe-eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

"_Aw_, Bella Bear! _No... Please..._ Don't – " Before Emmett could finish, tears began to fall down her rosy cheeks and the little girl then let out the first of many sobs. Jasper and Edward glared at Emmett as they tried to soothe and calm her down but to no avail. Emmett began to feel guilt-ridden, and just as he thought it couldn't get any worse after the assigned grocery task, Bella scaring the dead life out of him, and the little girl now crying, she began to beg for the one person when she felt broken and shaky.

"_I want Alice!_" Bella cried into Jasper's cold shoulder and he looked up into Edward's eyes with concern.

"It's okay, Bella. Emmett's not going to tell Esme." Jasper tried again.

"_No_, I want Alice…" Bella shakily said as she tried to wiggle out of his arms. Jasper kept her in his firm grasp and looked back up to Edward for help.

"Emmett promises he won't tell Esme a single thing, right _Emmett_?" Edward threatened.

"Right! I'm sorry, Bells. _I promise_, I won't tell." Emmett pleaded his case to the little girl. Bella shook her head and began to beg for Alice again.

"Alice is out shopping right now, Bella. She'll be back in a few hours." Edward explained but Bella just shook her head back and forth while tears streamed down her pretty face.

"I want Al – " Bella hiccupped and began to cry even more. Edward and Jasper returned their glares to Emmett and Jasper paced back and forth with Bella in his arms as she fight to try and get out.

"Why do you _always_ have to pick on her? Look what you've done. Alice is going to _kill_ you." Edward said through his teeth as he ran a hand through his tousled sandy blond hair. Emmett threw his hands up in the air in disbelief and then covered his face with them after while groaning out loudly.

"Oh dear God," Jasper whispered as tears began to fill his eyes. He felt Bella's longing and the ache she felt for comfort. None of which he nor the other two vampires in the room can provide. The aching continued to flood through him waves after waves, and Jasper handed Bella over to Edward when he couldn't take it any more and then fell to his knees crumpling over in devastation. Edward ran his hand gently up and down Bella's small back, but it did nothing to soothe the little girl as she carried on crying endlessly.

Just as Edward decided to pick up the phone and call Alice, the door flew open and there stood Alice with numerous shopping bags in each hand. She dropped them all at the front door and sped over to where Edward was holding _her_ Bella. Alice looked at Edward questioningly, but he just shook his head and gestured towards the small frame in his arms that was crying her eyes out. Alice reached over and smoothed down Bella's soft brown locks and then stretched out for her. Edward transferred Bella into Alice's arms as she shushed and softly sang to calm Bella down.

"_What's wrong, sweetie?_" Alice gently asked when Bella had stopped crying but she was still whimpering. After several attempts of trying to talk through hiccups, Bella gave up and rested her head in the crooked of Alice's neck while wrapping her arms tightly around it. Alice gestured to the shopping bags and the boys nodded as they carried them in and set them at the top of the stairs, while Alice slowly walked up the steps and into her room. After gently closing the door behind her for some privacy, Alice slowly paced back and forth in their room, wondering what had upset her tiny human like this. The whimpers soon went away as it was just the two of them, and a comfortable silence enveloped the room. After a few moments, Alice felt light kisses on her neck and she smiled knowingly before pulling back to get a glimpse at her little angel's face.

"All better now?" Alice grinned at the small child in her arms. Bella nodded slowly and Alice leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead. Bella smiled shyly before returning to the spot in crooked of Alice's neck.

"You know, you're going to have to talk to me sooner or later honey." Alice said as Bella snuggled into her.

"_No_ to the power of _no_…" Bella's answer was muffled as she spoke into Alice's neck, but with her heightened sense of hearing, Alice heard it clear as day.

"Now why is that, my little mathematician?" Alice smiled lovingly. _She's spending way too much time around Carlisle in his studies_, Alice thought to herself before a small chuckle could be heard downstairs. It was no other than Edward who can read minds of course. Bella just simply shook her head in response, not even bothering to utter another word now.

"Well I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong, my little munchkin." Alice encouraged. Bella shifted slightly in her arms before she came to eye-level with the vampire. She let her small hands rest at the ends of Alice's jaw before letting out a tiny sigh.

"Em was going to tell Momma…and I was scared…" Bella whispered softly, but Alice heard her quite well.

"What was Emmett going to tell Esme? Why were you _scared_?" Alice inquired as her instinct told her to go into protective mode. Bella then frown slightly and then let her hands slowly roam Alice's beautiful cold features. Looking anywhere but into Alice's loving topaz eyes, Bella finally decided to answer.

"I'm scared Momma's going to be mad at me..." Bella said and Alice stared expectantly at her to continue. Bella felt Alice's stare and looked down before she went on, "I jumped down from upstairs and onto Em's shoulders..." Alice gasped as she heard this and stared disapprovingly at the small child.

"_Bella… You shouldn't have done that_." Alice gently scolded the tiny human. Bella's eyes began to brim with tears again and Alice let out a sigh before leaning in to kiss the unshed tears away. Bella buried her face into Alice's shoulder and Alice instinctively brought a hand to Bella's back and began to soothe her again.

"_Don't cry_." Alice whispered into her ears. Bella just continued to hide her face in Alice's shoulder as she rocked her back and forth. After several minutes, Bella began to play with the top of Alice's shirt.

"Don't you _ever_ scare me like that again, alright? No more jumping off stairs." Alice finalized. Bella lifted her head off of Alice's shoulder and kept her face looking down while still playing with the top of Alice's shirt.

"But you and everybody else do it all the time, _why can't_ _I do it?_" Bella whined and pouted. Alice thought carefully about what Bella said and came to the conclusion that they'll make it a house rule not to have anybody jump down the stairs ever again.

"Well from now on, _nobody _is allowed to jump off the stairs, including you and me. _Understood?_" Alice questioned her. Bella frowned before briefly nodding her head and lifting up her gaze to find Alice's topaz eyes.

"Okay, Alice." Bella muttered quietly.

"_Now_, where is _my_ kiss? I missed you _all_ day!" Alice affectionately smiled at her. Bella's features brightened and she lifted her tiny thumb to her lips and kissed it before pressing it against Alice's lips. Alice kissed Bella's thumb in return and embraced Bella into a tight hug that was comfortable enough only for the tiny human.

"I missed you too, Alice. _So_ _much_." Bella murmured into Alice's neck before letting out a contented sigh.


	9. Chapter 9

_**One year later…**_

"_Rosie_… _Can we go yet?_" Bella whined as Rosalie continued to scan the designer clutches that were aligned decoratively on the ledge to showcase the store's goods. The little four years old was trying really hard not to bounce up and down in the high-end boutique even though she was incredibly frustrated with the beautiful vampire that purposely strung her along for show. Bella tried to glare at her guardian and crossed her arms across her chest to illustrate her honest distaste for shopping.

Rosalie swiftly glanced at the edgy little human beside her and grinned before returning her gaze back to one of the gorgeous looking clutches that caught her eyes. Of course, it was an action too quick for the human eyes to see, let alone a human child. Bella's glare faltered as she realized that she had failed to get her caretaker's attention. Her brown eyes began to scan the store and saw several salespeople still gaping at Rosalie from the other side of the room since the moment they walked into the store. Bella let out a tiny human sigh as her eyes went to the entrance of the store. After a few seconds of contemplation, she decided to leave the vampire to herself and started wandering around the store herself. Rosalie saw the little human leave her side out of the corner of her eyes and smiled before walking over to the rack displaying different styles of fitted blazers. She wasn't too worried about Bella wandering off since her heightened vampire senses allowed her to track Bella's scent and movements from as far as half a mile away. _ Alexander Wang, Rag & Bone, Theory and – Oh! How interestingly cut… Huh, it's an edgy look. _Rosalie's thoughts wanderas her fingers instinctively snapped for a salesperson to come over and help her with the merchandises. Usually, the snapping would put off salespeople but with for gorgeous-looking like her, it was never an issue.

Meanwhile, Bella was squandering her time away in the shoes section. As she scanned the walls, the rows of unique-looking sneakers finally caught her eyes. Ultimately, a small pair of blue _Tod's Boy's Gommini Suede Moccasin Loafers_ held her full attention and she looked around for help, only to find all of the salespeople flocking around Rosalie in the middle of the store. Seeing that no one was going to help her get the shoes, Bella decided to climb the shelves herself to grab the mini loafers. Just as her hands grabbed the edge of one shelf and she began swinging herself to holster her body up the ledge, Rosalie's head shot right over to where Bella was and began to walk as fast as she could at a human pace towards the little girl.

"Bella!" Rosalie called out before the tiny hands began to slip from the shelf she was holding onto. Rosalie immediately jumped forward to catch Bella as she fell and caught her right in time. Rosalie's eyes scanned the little girl for any cuts or bruises before letting out a sigh of relief. Bella looked up at Rosalie with guarded eyes, trying to search for any sign of anger or unsettling emotions. Before Bella could finish surveying the vampire's good-looking face, a pair of cold lips connected with the top of her head as her face was nestled into the crooked of Rosalie's neck.

"_What did I say about climbing shelves in retail stores, Isabella Marie Cullen?_" Rosalie whispered into her ear before pulling back and looking straight into Bella's eyes with full concern.

"Not to do it…" Bella said quietly as her eyes began to lower to the floor. Rosalie's frown began to disappear as she looked at the remorseful-looking child. Rosalie placed the tips of her slender cold fingers beneath Bella's chin to lift it up so that the small brown eyes were leveled with her topaz ones before she began to speak.

"Now, would you care to explain _why_ you were climbing that shelf?" Rosalie asked as she stood up with Bella in her left arm, sidled against her left hip. Bella looked at the shelf with the mini loafers she was staring at before she pointed at the pair of leather shoes.

"I want _those_." Bella said as she looked back to Rosalie with hopeful eyes. Rosalie smiled before grabbing the pair and inspecting them.

"Bella, these are boys' shoes." Rosalie pointed out before looking back at Bella.

"But daddy says that girls and boys are more alike than different. I don't feel that I'm more different than a boy, and Alice says that labels are _problematic_." Bella began to explain as Rosalie's smile grew bigger and bigger as the little genius ranted on. Before Rosalie could get a word in, Bella moved to a finger to her cold lips to silence her and then continued, "Daddy said that, '_The more we believe something is true, the more we are likely to act in a way that makes it come true_.' _Gender doesn't matter_. That's what _you_ said to Emmy the yesterday when he said you fight like a _girl_." Rosalie's eyes widened as the little girl reiterated hers and Carlisle's comments word for word. Rosalie bit her lower lip in contemplation and quickly glanced at the girls' shoe section where a lovely pair of blue _Tod's Girl's Flettie Ballet Flats_ laid. _Well, that's sort-of similar, a girl version of the shoes, _Rosalie thought to put the pair of loafers back and then walked the small distance over to the ballet flats with Bella still in her left arm, a feather-like weight against her left hip.

"How about those? They're nice too." Rosalie encouraged as she pointed at the pair she was talking about. Bella's face scrunched up as she surveyed the pair of flats and then shook her head back and forth.

"No, I don't like the small buckle at the toes." Bella explained as Rosalie's eyes blinked unnecessarily in surprise at the child's observation. She was expecting an "_It's too girly" _kind of response from Bella so that she can argue with Bella's little speech from earlier, but of course, the little girl would always be armed with surprises for her.

"Okay, if you say so. I rest my case." Rosalie shrugged as she walked back over to the boys' shoes section and grabbed the pair of loafers. She sat Bella down on the bench nearby before snapping her fingers once more for a salesperson to come over. A brown-haired young man quickly sauntered over with a pair of dazed blue eyes staring at her in wonder.

"Can I have this in a size 9 for my little girl?" Rosalie asked nonchalantly. The young man just nodded and bowed as he retreated without even inquiring why she was getting a pair of boys' shoes for the little girl. Rosalie turned to Bella and grinned before gesturing for the little girl to take her shoes off. The young man came back shortly with a box of shoes before taking it out and decided to bend down and attempted to put the shoes on Bella's two small feet. Before he could even touch the little girl, Rosalie put a cold hand on shoulder and he looked at her in confusion.

"I've got it from here." Rosalie said with a curt response before he set the shoes down and stood next to the bench, not intending to leave anytime soon since he felt this was his chance to be near the goddess-looking woman. Rosalie took her time as she fitted the loafers onto Bella's tiny feet and Bella wiggled her small toes inside the shoes to see if they were a comfortable fit.

"I like it. It's comfy." Bella commented as she looked up from the mini loafers and into Rosalie's topaz eyes.

"Well, they should be for…how much is this?" Rosalie asked, not even looking at the young man beside them.

"They're $215.00, _Miss_…_?_"

"_Mrs. Cullen_." Rosalie corrected him before taking the mini loafers off and replacing them with Bella's blue UGG button suede boots. She set the mini loafers beside Bella on the bench and stood up as she turned back to the salesman. "Can you give this to Lara and tell her I'm ready to check out?" The young man frown, his brows knotted together as he reluctantly nodded and took the shoes with him to the desk.

"Come on, Bella. We're going to the _Farmers' Market_ after this like I promised." Rosalie tried to make a face as she said it and she held her hand out for Bella to grab. Bella hopped off the bench immediately and giggled as she took Rosalie's hand before they idly walk over to the desk to pay for their purchases. After Rosalie reached into her purse and got her wallet, she pulled out the black card and handed it over to Lara, the girl who remained at the desk while everyone was hovering over her earlier. Lara smiled shyly at Rosalie before swiping the card and asking for Rosalie to sign and began bagging the items. As they waited for the salesgirl to wrap up the purchases, Bella tugged Rosalie's hand and she looked down at the little human child by her side.

"Can I have the berry sundae too?" Bella pleaded with the doe-eyes she uses whenever she wanted just about _anything_. As always, it worked on everyone in the Cullen family and turned them into lovesick fools. Rosalie rolled her eyes at the child and shook her head in disbelief.

"You didn't have to bring out _those eyes_, Bella. I would've said yes to _anything_ after you decided on that pair of mini loafers. Alice is going to be _so_ jealous when she hears about this." Rosalie smiled wickedly, unaware that all the salespeople in the store were staring at her beauty in awe. It was too bad that Alice was at home working on her designs right now because the deadline her boss had settled on was coming up soon. Bella looked at Rosalie in confusion and scratched her head with her free hand, and shrugged before dropping her hand and letting her eyes wander around the high-end boutique. Bella couldn't wait until they get to the Farmers' Market where she can have her choice of food and then a berry sundae right after.

Needless to say, it was a productive day for both women and they walked out of the store hand-in-hand with smiles upon their faces after Lara finished with their transaction.

"_Little humans and their cravings for dessert… I'll never understand_." Rosalie said swiftly under her breath as they walked towards Bella's dreamland of human food.

* * *

**a/n: So...this one is for all of you who requested a Bella/Rosalie scene. Hopefully it's up to your standards, because this is _probably_ the best I could do. ;)**

**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm feeling pretty generous today. Enjoy! ;)**

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Alice sighed as she scanned through the many sketches she had done in the past four and a half hours. It's been about 16,200 seconds since she last saw her little Bella, and even though the separation anxiety she had wasn't as bad as it used to be back when Bella was younger, Alice couldn't help but miss her tiny human terribly. Alice glance at the digital clock that was set on her work desk again in the family's art room that she mostly shared with Esme, and began tapping her black art pencil against the sketch work that she was currently working on. The digital clock declared that it was almost six in the evening. Alice let out another sigh as her eyes wander outside the window and now wishes that she'd gone shopping instead of working on the boring designs she's produced in the past hours. Almost too soon for her to grasp the moment of it happening, a vision hit her out of the blue and Alice fell into a temporary paralysis.

"_Can I have the berry sundae too?" Bella pleaded with the doe-eyes she uses whenever she wanted just about anything. As always, it worked on everyone in the Cullen family and turned them into lovesick fools. Rosalie rolled her eyes at the child and shook her head in disbelief. _

"_You didn't have to bring out those eyes, Bella. I would've said yes to anything after you decided on that pair of mini loafers. Alice is going to be so jealous when she hears about this." Rosalie smiled wickedly._

Alice gasped immediately as the vision ended. She couldn't believe it. Alice could barely wrap her mind around the idea of Bella deciding on a pair of shoes. Bella hated shopping. She hated it with a passion unbeknownst to Alice and Rosalie, both that love shopping. Alice stood up and paced around the room before she became so frustrated that she had to let it out of her system.

"_That little rascal!_" Alice cried out into the empty room. The words echoed throughout the spacious chamber and within a few seconds, a round of deep chuckles could be heard downstairs by her heightened vampire senses. Alice stomped out of the room almost as soon as she heard the sounds and sped down the stairs too fast for the human eyes to even catch on. Almost a second later, she stood right before her family who were in the living room playing a card game.

"_I can't believe her!_ How did she do it? I missed out on the first time Bella decided to purchase a pair of shoes! _Gah_! _I knew it!_ I should've gone with the both of them!" Alice paced around in circles as her arms flung all over the place to get her point across. Everybody had the decency to hold in their laughs except for Emmett who guffawed rather loudly. Alice snapped her head around and glared at the brawny-looking man, and stepped towards him before she was _almost_ in his face.

"This is all _your_ fault! If you hadn't decided to wrestle with her yesterday, she wouldn't have lost and gotten so dispirited that she needed to go _shopping_. Then I wouldn't have to _volunteer_ to let her take Bella with her. And if she _hadn't_ taken Bella with her, I wouldn't have missed out on Bella's first time _actually_ shopping for _herself_! You made me missed her _first time_!" Alice jabbed a pointing finger at his chest with each and every word without missing a beat. Edward was the first to crack and burst out laughing while the others joined in one after another, whereas Emmett just cowered back in the sofa and looked around the room for help. It was pretty clear that everyone was too caught up with Alice's amusing rant to care about the Herculean-built vampire.

"Alice, it's just shopping and – " Jasper decided to help as he felt Emmett's fear but Alice cut him off almost immediately.

"_Just shopping? _It's not '_just shopping' _Jasper, it's an _experience_! One of the most _important_ experiences in any girl's life!" Alice explained in a dead serious manner.

"Er… Well, uh, this may come as a surprise for you Alice, but we're all kind-of dead." Emmett joked. Alice whirled her head back in Emmett's direction and continued glaring at him once more.

"That's besides the point! Bella is _still _human! She's a healthy living, breathing, tiny human." Alice exclaimed as she flung her hands in the air.

"Alice, I think you're going a little bit overboard with this…uh, _situation_." Edward commented carefully.

"When does she ever _not_ go overboard with _any _situation?" Emmett added before rolling his eyes.

"_Boys_, let's all be _mindful _of Alice here. Bella is her _mate_, and everything about the little child greatly concerns _her._ Although I must say, I believe we've all done quite a number on the little girl. Bella's brain development truly exceeds that of a four-year-old. I was honestly concern about it at first, but I'm starting to see how other variables in her life are affecting her human development." Carlisle spun a one-eighty on all of them. Even Alice's contorted expression of frustration and anger from earlier had dissipated and has now soften into that of a curious one.

"What _variables _are you speaking about, Carlisle? Why haven't you discussed this with me?" Alice voiced her concern.

"Well, as you all know, Bella's not like any other average child. It's almost as if…she has a _gift_." Carlisle revealed another one of his confounding theories. Everyone in the room gasped and they all looked around at one another.

"_A gifted child_? How long have you been sleeping on this, my dear?" Esme asked excitedly, and one could even tell the level of pride she had after discovering this newfound information about the youngest child in the family.

"Oh, my dear, we do not _sleep_." Carlisle chuckled as he wrapped his arm around his wife and pulled her closer.

"Oh come on love, it was just…an _expression_." Esme slightly pushed against him in a playful way. They both smiled at each other in adoration before hearing a cough from someone near them. Carlisle and Esme both turned their faces away from each other and then looked at their children again.

"You were saying about Bella's _gift_?" Alice questioned. Carlisle smiled, knowing full well that he had tested her patience enough and realized now was the time to continue.

"Bella has a _strong_ curiosity, Alice. She asks questions about everything and anything. Secondly, she demonstrates such a high level of language development and verbal ability at quite a young age. You've heard and seen it all. She has an extensive vocabulary _and_ she's an avid reader. Thirdly, she has an unusual capacity for processing information. Well, fourthly, she learns _quite_ rapidly. You can tell by her ability to think process information quickly. Fifthly, she's very good at reasoning by comprehensively synthesizing problems. Sixth, she has a heighten capacity to recognize diverse relationships and integrate ideas across disciplines. She reasons things out, comprehends meanings, and makes logical associations. Seventh, she has an early use of differential patterns in thought processing. Eighth, she's a keen observer and is very alert almost all the time. Ninth, her early learning ability is very rapid. Tenth – " Carlisle was about to go on before he was cut off by Emmett.

"Okay, we get it. Little human's a genius!" Emmett remarked. Carlisle chuckled and nodded as he looked back at Alice.

"Do you have any other questions, dear?" Carlisle thoughtfully asked.

"_Well_…is this a bad thing? Do you think she's like this because she's living with us? Is this going to affect her human development significantly? What if she comes home someday and blames me for her being like _this_? What if she'll leave me one day? I don't think I could… I can't _be_ without her." Alice said all in one breath, even though it wasn't even necessary for a vampire to breathe at all.

"_Oh Alice_, that's never going to happen. _That little girl loves you_ _like no other_. You need to – " Before Esme could finish, the front door swung open and in came the little lamb that everybody was talking about. They were apparently too immersed in the conversation to even hear Rosalie and Bella's arrival.

"Alice!" Bella shouted as she ran as fast as she could to her favorite vampire. Alice watched the slow motion of Bella running towards her as tears brimmed in her eyes. _My Bella. _Alice thought as the love of her life kept running with a smile on her face. Not too many seconds later, Bella ended up in Alice's arms and she lifted Bella up into the air and swung her around slowly before coming to a stop. Bella pulled back as Alice held Bella in her arms, and she pushed back a strand of her in Bella's face behind her ear.

"Hello my beautiful, how was paradise today?" Alice teased the little girl as she tried to calm down her overwhelming emotions.

"Well, Rosie had many, many people staring at her, and we went to lots of stores. Rosie was shopping like there's no tomorrow, Allie! Then we went into this store called _Saks Fifth Avenue_, and…look!" Bella wiggled her feet around beneath her, and Alice quickly glanced at the mini loafers that fitted Bella's feet quite nicely.

"New shoes?" Alice asked even though she already knew that they were. Bella nodded excitedly, and the fact that the new purchase made Bella happy caused Alice to smile.

"I _chose_ them! Rosie said they were _boys_' shoes, but I _remembered _you telling me that labels were _problematic_, and Rosie said that '_Gender doesn't matter_.' yesterday after she fought Emmy so I got them anyway." Bella grinned proudly.

"She also reiterated Carlisle's quote word for word about how '_The more we believe something is true, the more we are likely to act in a way that makes it come true_.' I couldn't even believe for a second that a four-year-old human was reasoning with me using my own words against me, let alone Carlisle's." Rosalie added as she walked into the room and idly sat down on Emmett's lap.

"Well, we were just discussing about her _gift_." Carlisle commented in vampire speed that was too quick for Bella to hear, and then smiled proudly along with Esme at his youngest daughter.

"_What gift?_ She's merely a little human." Rosalie asked in confusion, following suit and speaking too fast for Bella to listen in on their conversation.

"Oh, we all know she's _more_ than just a little human." Jasper added quickly.

"We were talking about how she's a _gifted child_. You know, the ones with advanced cognitive characteristics." Edward decided to explain after reading Rosalie's confused thoughts.

"Oh. Well, wasn't that obvious?" Rosalie was still quite unsure why they seem overly concern about the child's cognitive abilities.

"Yes, but we were just discussing it. That's all." Alice decided to end the conversation, feeling guilty that they were keeping her mate out of the loop.

"Alright then." Rosalie deadpanned. The vampires' conversation hadn't even taken up thirty seconds of time, and the little human was staring at all of them curiously.

"_Bella_," Alice addressed the little girl now sitting in her lap. "I think you might've forgotten_ something_ the moment you walked through that front door." Alice gestured over to the entrance to the house.

"You mean _this_?" Bella asked but didn't even give Alice time to answer as she leaned forward and kissed Alice's cold button nose.

"Clever girl." Alice playfully stuck her tongue out at Bella.

"That's something Rosie's got to learn." Bella added. Everyone including Rosalie looked at the little girl curiously, wondering what was about to come out of the small human next.

"What do _I_ have to learn? I know _everything_." Rosalie smiled conceitedly. Carlisle shook his head at her as he chuckled. If anyone, it was Carlisle who knew everything.

"_No_, you tried to get me to try on the girls' version of the shoes I wanted. That's not very _clever_, Rosie." Bella crossed her arms across her chest as she said this in a very serious manner. Everyone but Rosalie immediately roared with laughter, as the beautiful vampire's expression remained that of shock. Rosalie's jaw had dropped slightly and Alice couldn't help but to give Bella a kiss on her cute little button nose, already getting over how she missed Bella's first time _shopping_.

"_Oh _Bella…" Alice cooed as she nuzzled her face into Bella's warm neck.

"Allie! That tickles!" Bella giggled adorably as she tried to push Alice away from the sensitive spot on her neck. Rosalie tried her hardest to not give in at the cute little human but her restraint failed and she immediately forgave Bella for unintentionally ridiculing her in front of all the other vampires.

"Emmett, Edward, Jasper! Go unload the car!" she turned her attention to the boys in the room. The three vampires instantly groaned before standing up and running out through the front door. They all knew better than to mess with the ice queen. Everyone in the family knew that it was only Bella that could get away with anything.

"_And there goes the three musketeers!_" Bella joked in a singsong voice before everyone broke out into another round of laughter, even the boys were laughing outside as they began to unload the car.

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** Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. That is all.**


	11. Chapter 11

_**One year later…**_

It was that time of the year again. On the same date of every year, the Cullen family would move to a new location and resituate themselves in an environment that was most favorable to their _nature_. They couldn't ever stay too long in one place or they'd risk the chance of being discovered, and that was entirely against the _law _that they had to abide by due to their very _nature_. Only insensible vampires would ever put themselves in harm's way by risking their exposure to the curious humans. Usually, the Cullens would reside in one place for at least two to three years before leaving for a new town, but ever since they've adopted Isabella, Alice had requested that they didn't stay too long in one place to avoid further suspicions. A big part of Alice was scared and felt inexplicably uncomfortable about staying in one place for too long, and everyone had tried their best to convince her otherwise, but they had all failed. It was a lurking feeling she felt, and Alice _knew_ somewhere deep inside that she couldn't ignore the feeling and take any chances, not when it comes to _her_ Bella. As odd as the request was, the family finally gave in and agreed that whatever she felt was _best_ for Bella would also be top priority for the family as well.

After discovering Bella in the small town of Forks in 1987, the Cullens had moved to Seattle after only one month of being there. It was still in the same state, but definitely a little further away from where Alice first found the infant. Two months after Bella's second birthday, they moved again to Halle, Germany, where there was only 1,544 hours of sunshine of the 8,760 hours in a year. Their third stop was Lima, Peru, when Bella was a little past three-years-old where there was even lesser sunlight, around 1,424 hours of sunshine that year. By 1991, they were already relocating back to Europe in Edinburgh of Scotland a few days after Bella had turned four. They had moved a little earlier, since the family had grown tired of the populated place of about six million residents in Lima, Peru.

They have spent about a year and four months in Edinburgh, Scotland by now and it was of course_ that_ time of the year again. The family had gathered the day prior and it was Carlisle's turn to pick a location. According to him, their next destination would be Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada near the Atlantic Ocean. It was considered one of the foggiest places on Earth and it had a pretty huge moose population. There was a consensus amongst all the family members, and the little human joined in as well by remarking that her daddy always made the best decisions. Little did all but Edward knew that Carlisle had really chosen the place because Newfoundland and Labrador were the first to vaccinate for smallpox _and_ it was actually the first place to discover proof of the theory of continental drift. The large moose population and it being one of the foggiest places anywhere on Earth were just some extra attractions of the location. A small piece of information Edward decided to keep to himself even though it wasn't that big of a deal. They had a place to hunt without worrying about endangering the species and the weather forecast was perfect. What more could they ask for?

Alice was about to leave the house to go to her office at the fashion bureau she was working for under a short one-year contract and decided to stop in the kitchen where Bella was having breakfast before she left. Bella, being the usual sweet tooth, was releasing an abundant amount of maple syrup all over her pancakes topped with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar.

"_Nuh uh_, you stop that _right now_, Isabella." Alice scolded her as she swiftly walked over and took the bottle of syrup away from the little human. Bella pouted before looking over to Esme who was cleaning up a mess at the sink, but the family's matriarch only shook her head back and forth while smiling at the small child. Bella's shoulders dropped with all hopes lost of ever getting back the bottle of sweet goodness.

"This is _syrup_, loaded with more grams of sugar than you _actually _need for a day, Bella. Do you remember what happened the last time you _over-indulged_ in sugary sweets?" Alice placed both her hands on each side of her hips as she lectured her little rug rat.

"I got sick…" Bella responded as she dropped her head and looked down at the small fingers twisting back and forth in her lap.

"Yes, you got sick_ and_ you were bedridden for almost _two whole days_." Alice made sure Bella understood the consequences of consuming excessive amounts of sugar. Bella stayed quiet and Alice sighed and walked over to where the little girl sat and lifted her up from the seat to hold Bella in her arms.

"_Bella_, look at me." Alice said in the gentlest voice she used only with Bella. The little girl slowly lifted her head and took a small peek at the vampire from beneath her eyelashes. Bella blinked several times and looked down again before she felt a cold sensation under her chin that forced her to elevate her gaze up to Alice's eye level. Bella stared into Alice's topaz eyes, and Alice witnessed the remorsefulness in the little brown orbs staring right back at her.

"I only want what's best for you, _Isabella_. Have I _ever _done anything to purposely hurt you?" Alice lightly asked. Bella took her time to shake her head back and forth, and then pursed her tiny rosy-colored lips. Bella breathed out through her nose, and then her features began to relax.

"_I understand_." Bella whispered before wrapping her small arms around Alice's neck and laid the side of her head on Alice's cold hard shoulder. Alice let out a sigh of relief, not knowing if she was going a little too far with the small scolding until now. She was fairly glad she didn't.

"_I'm glad. _I only do these things out of my love for you, Bella. You've been _my_ _best five years_, and if you don't stop with all this excessive sugar consumption phase, how can I possibly have _more_ than just five years with you?" Alice spoke softly into Bella's ear.

"Okay, you win." Bella surrendered and Alice smiled triumphantly.

"Okay, you two! Break it up! You need to head to the office and collect your things, shorty. We have a plane to catch in six hours and twenty-two minutes." Emmett tried heist best to sound serious. Bella lifted her head off of Alice's shoulder and looked over at the kitchen entryway to see Emmett with his arms crossed against his chest and a smirk plastered on his face.

"Emmy, you look like a nutty boogeyman with your face like that." Bella said before a childish pout appeared upon her features. Emmett's smirk faltered a little before his eyes lit up again. Unbeknownst to Bella, Emmett used his vampire speed to zip across the room to where Alice was.

"_I'll_ show you what a boogeyman looks like." Emmett quipped before tickling Bella's sides. Bella began to giggle hysterically before her breaths became shallower and her little heart pounded frantically beneath her chest.

"_Em – Ah! Stop! Stop it! No!_" Bella cried as she continued to laugh wildly in Alice's arms.

"_Emmett Cullen_, you stop that right this instant, young man." Esme ordered him from where she stood at the sink. Alice smiled as she idly watched the interaction between her family members while being in the middle of it all. Alice couldn't remember a day being any happier without Bella in their lives, and she wish there wouldn't ever be a day where she'd have to know it at all in the future.

"Al, why are there mirrors in this elevator?" Bella asked curiously as she looked around the spacious compartment that was lifting them up to the twenty-third floor level. Alice looked down at the little girl holding her hand and smiled before glancing around at the golden reflections that casted back mirror images of the two of them.

"Well, I suppose it's part of the decorative design around here. People like to look at themselves in the mirror whenever they see one, Bella. So someone probably thought they might as well place some mirrors in here to let people entertain themselves while the elevator raise or lower them to different floors." Alice answered.

"_I see_." Bella stated before going back to observing the platform.

After the small good-natured banter between Emmett and Bella took place back at the house, Alice went on to leave but Bella whined and tried her hardest to hold her back. Alice told Bella that it was important that she go get the things now before they left for Canada, but Bella kept on begging to come with. Alice finally gave in after the little girl started to pout and threatened to not eat her breakfast. She waited for Bella to finish her pancakes before dressing up Bella to come with her. Alice had buckled her up in the kid's seat in the backseat of Carlisle's car, and then it was a good half an hour drive before they got to the fashion bureau.

The platform came to a stop at level twenty-three and the doors slowly slid open. Alice led Bella out of the elevator and walked down the hallway towards her office. She had to stop a few times when some of her colleagues tried to say goodbye and told her what a shame it was that she was moving away so soon and how they'd all miss her. Alice tried to keep the conversation short and nice before leading a quiet Bella into her private space on the entire floor. Alice closed the door behind them and let out a breath before rolling her eyes, and the little human grinned as she took in the vampire's stance.

"_Be nice, Alice_." Bella said as she shook a pointing finger at Alice. The vampire giggled and crouched down to scoop the little girl up into her arms. Alice nuzzled her face into the crooked of Bella's small neck and inhaled her cotton candy scent as a wave of calmness washed over her.

"It's _all _your fault, Bella. Why do you have to be so darn _popular _today?" Alice whined before pulling back and giving Bella a peck on the cheek. Before Bella could open her mouth and tell the older vampire to behave again, a knock at the door caused the both of them to whip their heads towards the entrance of Alice's office. Alice sighed and muttered a few curse words under her breath too fast for Bella to hear before setting the little human down in her armchair behind her desk. Alice strode across the spacious room and opened the door, revealing a good-looking brunette in his early thirties. Alice's heaved another sigh too lowly for him to hear and put on a fake smile.

"Hello Alice, I heard that you were in the building to pick up your things. I thought that I would come over, seeing that a little pretty lady like you could use all the help one can get." the Scottish man offered flirtingly before letting his eyes wander down her lithe form. Alice terribly wanted to roll her eyes at his antics, and she tried her hardest at collecting herself before giving him a polite response.

"Thank you for the offer, Mr. Taylor, but I brought my own little helper today, so I'll be fine." Alice tried her best to keep a well-mannered composure since he was her ex-boss after all.

"_Now Alice_, how many times have I told you to call me Nick?" the man said flirtatiously before glancing over her shoulder to see who the _little helper_ she had mentioned was. As much as Alice wanted to close the door on his face, she knew that it wouldn't be a very wise decision to do so. Alice opened the door wider for the man to come in, seeing that he was pretty adamant about not leaving anytime soon by way that he was standing at her door.

"Come on in," Alice said well mannerly even though the words were strained, before walking over to the armchair where Bella sat.

"Bella, say hi to Mr. Taylor." Alice introduced the two. Nick looked at the little girl in confusion but then realization set in as he figured out that _this_ was Alice's _little _helper. He hadn't actually expected it to be a _little_ person. In fact, he had suspicions that Alice was mentioning about one of their co-workers. _Good_, he thought to himself, _time to get reacquainted_.

"Well, _hello there_, young lady. It's _so_ nice to meet you!" Nick overplayed the introduction. He's tried many times but failed to get Alice's attention, and now was probably his chance to impress the girl by showing her how conscientious and caring he could be through the use of this child.

Bella observed the older man in his stylish tailored suit and thought he was a pretty handsome man, but out of the corner of her eyes, Bella saw clearly that Alice did not seem happy with this good-looking man around. Bella noticed that he was staring at Alice in the way that everybody else had, except it had a little bit more _intention _than people usually had for _her_ Alice. Bella refocused her attention on the man who seemed to carry himself with extreme confidence that didn't appear very inviting to her. After _much_ deliberation, Bella decided that she didn't like the man. He simply smelled like a walking bottle of overpriced cologne, and that had cost him all the brownie points Bella could've given him if he'd walk in without wreaking the air with his pungent smell. But even then, she didn't like him by the way that he stared at _her _Alice. He would've never gained any points with her anyways.

"I don't like you." Bella simply stated as the other two gasped in response. Of course, Alice did it for show while Nick was seriously surprised at the child's way of behaving towards him.

"_Excuse me?_" Nick questioned before raising an eyebrow at the child.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Taylor. Bella didn't mean that now, doesn't she?" Alice pretended to apologize and played along.

"_I don't like him, _Alice. I don't like the way that he _looks_ at you." Bella explained before the man started laughing. For what reasons? They both hadn't a clue. Alice wondered whether she's to laugh along with him for show or give Bella a kiss for telling him off for her, but before she could do either, the man's mouth decided to go off again.

"Oh Alice, this child you have here is _quite_ a handful. How ever do you manage?" Nick joked, but little did he know, it had hit the _wrong_ nerve. Both Alice and Bella were now glaring at the oblivious man, and if the human knew any better, he should be leaving immediately before Alice decided to decapitate him for saying the things he did about _her _Bella.

"_Mr. Taylor_, I really don't care for your advances towards me, but _please_, keep your indecent thoughts about _my_ Bella to yourself. I believe I don't have to show you where the door is. Please escort yourself _out_." Alice announced his departure for him. Nick's chuckles immediately stopped and he looked incredulously from the little girl to Alice who was standing protectively near her. Fortunately for him, his subconscious instinct picked up on the danger that flooded through the room that told him to leave. Nick nodded curtly and wished her bon voyage before he stepped out of her soon-to-be old office and then quickly closed the door behind him.

"He's a jerk!" Bella remarked while still glaring at the door as Alice began to chuckle beside her.

"I don't know, Bella... Maybe he's right. How _do_ I ever manage with a child like you?" Alice teased the little human. Bella let out a huff while crossing her arms and turned her face away in the opposite direction. Alice immediately zipped to the other side of the armchair and crouched down, before leaning in and gently nudging the tip of her nose against Bella's little one. Bella's lips slowly curved into a smile before she leaped up from the chair and jumped into Alice's arms as she wrapped her small ones around Alice's neck.

"_You're a jerk_…" Bella murmured into the crooked of Alice's neck. The vampire chuckled and put a hand behind Bella's head to run her fingers through the soft wavy brown hair that had grown past her shoulders.

"And you're a twerp." Alice teased again before running her hand up and down Bella's small back to soothe her little girl. After a few minutes of silence had gone by with Alice rocking back and forth while running her slender hand along Bella's spine, she pulled back and looked intensely into Bella's eyes.

"_Don't ever leave me, okay?_ I don't think I could ever _manage_ without you." Alice confessed. Bella looked at Alice in confusion but Alice just leaned in and let her cold lips linger against Bella's forehead.

"_Please don't ever leave me_." Alice whispered against Bella's temple.

"_Okay_." the five-year-old whispered back to reassure her.

Bella still couldn't understand the meaning of Alice's words, but she knew that Alice needed to be comforted more than anything at the moment. So Bella offered what she could to ease the vampire of her fear.

"_I'll be here forever." _said Bella.

Little did Bella know, the words would always be remembered by Alice, for it was the simple things the child says that instilled a hope in Alice that'll last for an eternity to come.

"Come on, let's put these picture frames and other memorabilia into the empty box so that we can finally leave." Alice said before she leaned in and gave Bella a peck on the cheek.

"For good?" Bella asked as she reached for a picture of her and Alice and placed it gently down in the small cardboard box.

"_Forever_." Alice smiled at her little soul mate.

* * *

**A/N: This is one of the longer chapters, because I thought I'd include some additional background information. :) Hope everyone enjoys the update, and have a beautiful day ahead! ;) **

**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	12. Chapter 12

_**12 hours later…**_

Bella slept soundly on top of Alice as the airplane flew at the average speed of five hundred knots with more than 40,000 feet above ground level. After the little human had chattered nonstop about hundreds of random things, exhaustion finally set in for Bella since the jet had departed from Edinburgh Airport about three hours ago. Alice smiled to herself while she carefully rubbed Bella's small back as the little girl slept.

After the girls had gotten back to their home in Scotland from Alice's old office, Carlisle had announced to the family that he's changed their schedule and had their flights delayed for another five hours. Nobody felt bothered by the changes, because they soon discovered that Carlisle was just concerned about Bella's curfew and inability to sleep if they had boarded an afternoon flight. They had a few extra hours at home and leisurely packed their belongings while the five-year-old sat at the kitchen snacking on peaches and reading a short novel by herself. Snippets of conversations concerning the little human went unnoticed as they spoke at vampire speed. The Cullens mostly debated about what to bring and what not to bring on board, and discussed about bags and boxes that needed to be checked in. Most of the things they had were already shipped to the new location in Atlantic Canada, and more than half of the remaining items were Bella's. They were done packing everything by the time a driver that worked for the airport came by to pick them up and drove them to Edinburgh Airport.

The little girl was more than ecstatic when they've arrived at the airport, bouncing up and down too many times to count, and the vampires spent most of their time watching her in amusement as they waited for their flight after checking in. Bella was curious about _everything_ there. All things amused and interested her, and it was a wonder to them how the curious child could simply get excited over a place such as the airport. Of course, wherever they were, people were staring. They mostly tried to disregard the looks they received and only reserve their attention for the little human and kept idle conversations amongst themselves about worldly news and future plans in Canada. After boarding the plane in the first class section, where three columns and four rows with seats of two were organized, everyone tried to relax and paid no mind to the two flight attendants that were hovering over all of them. Bella and Alice sat together in the first column and second row with Bella taking the window seat while Alice sat near the aisle. Next to Alice was Edward sitting in the second column in row two with Jasper to his right. Another aisle separated Jasper and Carlisle, who was sitting next to Esme. Lastly, sitting in the seats before Alice and Bella were Emmett and Rosalie. The trip from Edinburgh to Newfoundland and Labrador would take about seventeen hours, including the long layover in Newark, New Jersey. With already three hours in, there would still be four hours and forty-five more minutes until they arrived in Newark at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Alice brushed a small strand of brown hair out of Bella's face and slightly adjusted their position so that Bella's left arm wouldn't fall asleep when she woke up. Bella stirred a little and began to open her eyes, when Alice started to softly sing her a lullaby so that she'd fall back asleep. The technique easily worked and Bella was soon breathing evenly once more as she nuzzled closer into the crooked of Alice's neck. Alice leaned down and breathed in Bella's scent as she closed her eyes and sighed in contentment. It didn't take much to see that they fitted together perfectly. Behind closed eyes, Alice's visions began to run free as she went through the possible futures that were in store for her and Bella.

* * *

"Bella," Alice softly said as she ran a hand up and down Bella's back. The little girl remained asleep for the entire seven hours and forty-five minutes flight from Edinburgh to Newark. After being buckled back into her seat next to Alice, she had stayed awake for a little while as the commercial plane landed, but had taken to fall asleep again as Alice carried her from the plane. The long layover would take about six hours before they woul board another plane to St. John's, Canada. Bella slept for another two hours in Alice's arms at the Newark Liberty International Airport before the vampire decided that it was time for her to wake up and have breakfast.

Bella stirred and turned her ear away from the source that was trying to wake her up, and switched to laying her head on Alice's other cold hard shoulder. The other vampires chuckled as they witnessed this, and Alice tried to hold back one of her own.

"_Bella!_" Alice softly sang, but Bella only brought her small hands up to cover her ears as she tried to go back to sleep again.

"_Oh no! The sky is falling, Bella! The Earth is falling!_" Alice play-act a catastrophe happening. Bella immediately shot up and frantically looked around, only to see that the other vampires were now laughing louder at her.

"_Alice!_" Bella whined as she stared down the shaking vampire holding her.

"_Aw_, come on Bella. That was funny," Alice chuckled before she went on, "_and_ you're finally _up, up, and awake!_" As the vampire sang the last part, Bella sighed and tried to wiggle out of Alice's arms. Alice reluctantly let Bella go, and the little girl sauntered over to Jasper and lightly tapped his right leg. As he looked down at the little human, she reached her arms up to him and the noble gent instantly bent down to pick her up. She smiled lazily at him before resting her head against his cold hard shoulder and wraps her small arms around his stiff neck. Jasper chuckled as Bella made a humming noise, which caused Alice to whine five feet across from him.

"_Bella_…" Alice now whined loud enough for the little human to hear. Bella turned her head around in Alice's direction on Jasper's shoulder and then proceeded to close her eyes. The family chuckled at the child's small feat at irking Alice, and Carlisle start speaking at his vampire speed.

"We still have another four hours here until we board the next flight. I suggest we all make good use of that time and go hunt. Of course, one of us will have to stay back and watch Bella." Carlisle looked at Alice as he said this. Alice nodded and turned back towards Bella who was still clinging to Jasper instead of her before a frown appeared on her face.

"Come on, Bella. Let's go grab breakfast together." Alice offered sweetly as she reached out for the little girl. Bella slowly opened her eyes and saw this, and she turned away and shook her head.

"_No,_ I want to stay with Jazzy." Bella's words were muffled in Jasper's neck, but the vampires heard her clearly. Alice's frown deepened and she look dejectedly at the back of Bella's head. Bella could really get difficult with her when she gets cranky. Alice sighed and then proceeded to take a step closer towards the little red traffic light.

"You _do_ understand that _red_ means _no_, right?" Edward asked Alice as he laughed at her. She turned towards him and scowled before taking another step towards the little human. Red or green light, she's going to go for it anyway.

"_Bella… I'm sorry_. You know that I love you, right?" Alice carefully laid a hand against Bella's back and began to gently stroke her small spinal column.

"If you loved me then you should've let me sleep." Bella said in response. Jasper's shoulders shook as he tried not to laugh and Alice's eyebrows knotted again.

"She's got a point." Jasper added before he dodged a smack at his shoulder from Alice.

"_Not helping!_" Alice hissed _almost_ too low for Bella to hear. The little human began to giggle since she had heard Alice scolding Jasper. All of the vampires' attention centered on Bella as her little human form shook slightly as she tittered. Bella lifted her head off of Jasper's shoulder and then pushed her small hands against his chest so that he'd let her down. Jasper did just that and Bella walked the little distance to stand before Alice and curled her little pointing finger inward, gesturing for Alice to crouch down. Alice got down onto her knees and sat on her heels with her hands on her lap as she stared curiously at her little mate. Before Alice could ask Bella what she wanted, Bella started to lean in and then spoke into Alice's ear.

"_I need to go piddle_." Bella whispered lowly, thinking all the others wouldn't be able to hear her. Alice's jaw dropped slightly as the rest of the family roared with laughter. Bella looked around in confusion, thinking that she had whispered low enough for only Alice to hear. _If only_ she knew about their heightened vampire senses. Alice pulled back a little and took a quick glance at Bella's face before smiling and shaking her head.

"_You…are…so_…full of surprises." Alice rolled her eyes before she could finish and stood up abruptly. She held out her hand and Bella quickly took it.

"Alright, that's settled then. We'll try to come back as soon as we can so that you can go hunt too, Alice." Carlisle spoke and then Alice nodded as she began to lead Bella towards the women's restroom.

"Don't forget to hold your breath!" Emmett shouted before he began to roar with another round of laughter. Alice let out a sigh and just shook her head in response to Emmett's ignorant comment.

At least Bella was no longer upset with her.

* * *

"If Bella has three pieces of bacon, and she eats two, how many does she have left?" the little human asked as she began to stuff herself with another piece of bacon. Alice looked at her little mate in amusement before answering.

"One." Alice answered confidently. Bella then shook her head back and forth before she picked up another piece of bacon and popped it into her mouth.

"_Happiness_. Bella has happiness!" Bella giggled as she wiped her fingers on the napkin Alice handed to her and the vampire went on to roll her topaz eyes.

The two had decided to stop in at a diner in the airport to let Bella eat breakfast. Alice had taken it upon herself to cut the bacon slices into small pieces, so that Bella wouldn't be tempted to shove the cured meat down her small throat all in one go. She had ordered oatmeal for the child as well, but Bella had begged and whined for _one_ bacon slice and so Alice gave in, seeing that it was a one-time deal.

"It would seem _so _fitting to call you a little pig now, wouldn't it?" Alice teased the small child. Bella just smiled like a goofy fool with all her pearly whites in response. The little human was certainly _beyond_ happy that she got the slice of bacon that Alice had initially refused her.

"You _are_ what you _eat_, Bella." Alice added before pushing the small plate away from the child so that she could resume eating the bowl of hot cereal again. Bella pouted slightly but picked up the spoon and began eating the small portion of oatmeal anyway. Alice took this chance to look around and saw that the diner was almost completely empty. The only other patrons in the restaurant were an old couple sitting a few booths away from them.

There was still two and a half hours before they had to go back to the terminal to board their flight to Atlantic Canada. A vision came to Alice and she saw her family on their way coming back. As the vision ended, Alice smiled when she realized that Carlisle had taken upon himself to bag a few pouches of some bobcat's blood for her. She was grateful for it because that meant she wouldn't have to leave Bella's side for more than two minutes at most to get the blood into her system.

Alice looked over to Bella who was slowing down and eating less. After Bella let out a contented sigh, Alice smiled and took a napkin and wiped the little girl's mouth. Bella looked at the entrance of the diner and then back to Alice, and the vampire rolled her eyes as she took out a ten dollar bill and left it on the table before she walked out of the diner Bella in hand.

They walked past a few different terminals before arriving at theirs where the Cullen family had already taken it upon themselves to sit down at the far corner with the tall glass windows. Bella started running as soon as she saw them and when they got close, Bella let go of her hand and ran up to one of the windows, staring out at the field where jets rested and a few commercial airplanes flying in or out of the airport. Alice went over to Carlisle, seeing that everyone was already watching the little human, and he handed her several pouches of blood. She discretely drank from them and then placed the empty pouches in a black bag and tied it before throwing it in a trash bin near the center of the waiting area. When Alice walked back to her family, she heard a few chuckles and laughter. She looked around curiously, wondering what was the cause of all the laughing, and not to her surprise, Bella was the source once again.

"_What'd I miss?_" Alice smiled before her family filled her in on what happened.

With Bella around, everyone was relatively certain the next two hours of waiting would fly by in seconds and Atlantic Canada would only be another three hours and ten minutes away.

* * *

**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thanks so much for all the new follows/favorites and reviews! I've had limited internet connection over the past week and cannot respond to all of your reviews for the previous chapters. Thanks ahead for your understanding! Hope you enjoy the update, and have a wonderful day! :)**

* * *

_**6 months later…**_

A cool breeze passes through one of Sandbanks Provincial Park's secluded beaches as the clouds shield the sunlight from trying to pass through. It was considerably warmer than usual at 16 Celsius, in light of summer fast approaching. The Cullens were having a family outing at one of Sandbanks' beaches, and had chosen a beach that was usually less visited by humans. Everyone was donned in a one or two-piece swimsuit whereas the little one was a bit more covered up, considering that it was a little chillier for the small human child. Bella, of course, had on a one-piece swimsuit underneath her white t-shirt and a pair of light grey sweatpants just for the kicks of it. Alice and Rosalie were lying on their stomachs in their bikinis on the beach towels, _sunbathing_ as they've put it into one word, even though there was little to no sunlight outside. Esme sat reading nearby on a picnic blanket, and right beside her was a picnic basket with containers of food for Bella. Carlisle, Edward, and Jasper were out swimming in the sea not too far away, leaving Emmett with Bella building sandcastles.

"_No!_" Emmett cried as the waves came without warning and washed over the newer sandcastle that they had _almost_ finished. Rosalie and Alice tried not to laugh as they looked over their shoulders and saw Bella running away from the water.

"_Alice! The tide just changed, Alice! Did you see that, Alice?_" Bella laughed heartily as she ran all the way over and hopped onto Alice's back. Bella snuggled into Alice's form from behind and Alice turned her head and looked over her shoulder at the little girl on top of her.

"Emmett, why don't you be a good man and come over here and give me a back massage?" Rosalie ordered more than asked by the tone of her voice. Alice rolled her eyes as the big burly vampire zipped over immediately and started on Rosalie's back. Alice turned around onto her back and Bella sat upright on her stomach as she looked down at the beautiful bikini-clad vampire.

"_Aren't you cold, Al?_" Bella asked curiously as she traced swirls on Alice's upper abs right below her breasts. A shiver ran through Alice and she took a hold of Bella's small fingers to stop them and intertwined the small joints with her own slender ones.

"_A l-little_." Alice stuttered and the three vampires around them chuckled. Bella looked around curiously, wondering what was so funny but her eyes landed on a small cream-colored Labrador Retriever about thirty feet away walking beside a little boy and a couple striding behind them.

"_Puppy!_" Bella called out excitedly as she hopped off of Alice and began racing over to where the small dog was. Alice lifted her upper body off the ground, leaning onto her elbows and looking over to where Bella was heading. Rosalie, Emmett, and Esme turned their heads and looked onto the scene as well when Bella bent down right before the little puppy and petted his furry head.

"Hi, I'm Jack." the boy beside the creamy-colored puppy said as he reached out his hand. Bella looked up from the puppy and into the boy's emerald eyes before getting off her knees and standing up straight.

"Hi Jack, I'm Bella." she smiled before reaching out to take his hand. Alice's eyes widened and she stood up immediately, walking as fast as she can at human pace towards Bella. It was barely a second after that the three other vampires followed from behind, and the three vampires in the sea began walking out of the water as well.

"This is Sammie. Say hi, buddy!" the boy said as he took away his hand and stood beside Bella. The little girl cried out and laughed as the puppy jumped onto its two hind feet and panted happily. The man and woman smiled as they watch the interaction between the three before six beautiful-looking people came into their view. Both their jaws dropped a moderate way down as they took in the six stunning figures. It was the woman who first snapped out of her stupor and finally managed to say the first words.

"_Hi_, I'm Claire, and this is my husband, Dave." the blonde woman said as she elbowed her partner beside her. The movements made the man recover from the daze he was in and he managed to stutter out one single word.

"H-hi…" Dave said as he ran a hand through his sandy blond hair and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"And _that_ is our son, Jack." Claire said before all eyes returned to the three who were running around ten feet away near the shore.

Carlisle stepped forward and introduced the family one after another, and the couple nodded at each of them in acknowledgement. Alice, on the other hand, was glaring at the back of the little boy's head and missed the nods sent her way.

"He's just a little boy, Alice." Edward said quickly at vampire speed. Alice growled lowly at the scene that was ten feet away from her before facing Edward.

"She's _my_ mate!" Alice snarled and Jasper stepped close and put his arms around her before sending a calm wave her way. Alice had relaxed considerably before she heard Bella's laugh and her chest began to rumble again.

"How old are you, Bella?" Jack asked Bella before he followed Sammie out of the water.

"I'm _almost_ six!" Bella said proudly before sitting down on the sand a little away from the shore. Jack then came over and sat down beside her.

"Really? I just turned seven yesterday." Jack smiled her way before petting Sammie's head when the puppy laid down in-between them. Bella grabbed a handful of sand in her right hand before letting it fall through the crevices between her small fingers. It was a familiar sensation. _Cold_. Just like _her_ Alice. Yet when she had taken Jack's hand earlier, he was _warm_. It was an unfamiliar feeling for Bella and she couldn't help but wonder why.

Edward's eyes widened as he read her thought and was quick to put a hand on Alice's shoulder so that she would stop fighting against Jasper's grasp.

"Bella is beginning to question why the boy's hand was warm and she's trying to draw comparisons between _our _coldness with _his_ warmth. We've got to go. _Now_." Edward said quickly which had gone unnoticed by the two humans who were trying to make conversation with Esme and Carlisle. All of the vampires had heard Edward and shifted their gazes to Carlisle.

"I apologize to end this conversation abruptly, but it is time for us to leave. There is a _situation_ at home that we still need to attend to." Carlisle's apologetic expression fooled the two humans as they nodded and called for Jack to come back over. Bella stood up as well and walked to the front where Esme and Carlisle stood. Alice frowned in disappointment, since she had expected that Bella was going to retreat by her side.

Bella and Jack stared at each other in wonderment, even though it was for different reasons. Bella was the first to crack a smile before waving goodbye to the three humans and bent down to pet Sammie for one last time. As they walked away in the direction that they had come from, Bella felt another unfamiliar sensation of sorrow grow inside of her heart. It was her very first human interaction with someone who's gotten in such a close proximity to her, and Bella suddenly had many questions she wanted answers to.

Bella stood there and did not move for several minutes as she watched the family walked further and further away until they were just outlines from afar. Everyone but Alice had walked back to gather up their stuff, and the lone vampire watched on as the little girl stared longingly at the family that had left only their footprints behind. For once, Alice was stuck on what to do. Should she walk forward and go comfort Bella? Or should she give Bella some alone time to process her first goodbye with a stranger whom she's grown to like?

A pang of hurt hit Alice as she realized that Bella had felt something for that little boy.

_Would it always be like this?_ Alice questioned herself.

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her shoulder and she was pulled into a sideway embrace. She looked up and saw Emmett's warm topaz eyes staring down at her before she laid her head down on his cold hard shoulder.

"_I love her_." Alice whispered too quiet for the little human to hear.

"_She loves you too, Al_." Emmett said in return.

"Is this fair to her? I'm taking away her choice to interact with other human beings. I feel so terrible now." Alice confessed. She heard Emmett let out a sigh beside her.

"_She'll understand, Al. She loves you_." Emmett repeated again and tightens his arm around her shoulder to comfort her.

They stood there watching the little figure stand unmoved for the next five minutes that seem to stretch out almost as long as an eternity. The rest of the family watched on the scene from behind, and they all wore the same emotion that Bella had on her face.

_A longing even they couldn't understand themselves._

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**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm taking you folks on a whole other journey here. I hope you enjoy the update, and have a wonderful day! :)**

_**+ So I realized that I had some mixed up with Bella's age when I first post the chapter. She's ten now. I apologize for that and I fixed that mistake. I was writing at 3-4am in the early morning, and I can now officially say that I don't function too well at those hours. hahaha Thanks for the reviews/feedbacks! **_

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_**Four years later…**_

The Monongahela National Forest encompassed nearly all of the southern third of the Allegheny Mountains range, a section of the vast Appalachian Mountains range, and is entirely within the states of West Virginia.

Not so far away was a three-story mountain cabin abutting the national forest. The mountain cabin looked like a rustic and charming retreat with all the comforts of home. True to its appearance, the majestic cabin was built and occupied by seven centuries-old vampires and one little human who had just turned ten not so long ago. It was a glorious location to enjoy the beautiful forest as it was filled with plenty of wildlife viewing. The cabin was approximately 10,000 square feet on three levels, which Esme has spent an extensive amount of time drawing blueprints and interior designs for. Every room in the house was undoubtedly built and created with love and care. The home even had a bright kitchen, which had been recently remodeled with all new appliances. It was the perfect place to relax after a long day.

Right to the side of the cabin was a small trail that led to a lake nearby. The lake was set in a scenic surrounding, backdropped with mountains, trees, and other natural wildlife. It was a nice addition to their month-old home, and the place held many spectacular views.

It was also in that place where a private conversation suddenly began.

"_I know I'm different_." the little girl finally whispered when they've sat in silence for long enough by the picturesque lake. Edward glanced over to the small figure beside him that was mirroring his posture. They were both leaning back on their hands with their legs stretched out before them on the grass. It was _strange_ even to the mind reader how close they've gotten. Edward had always thought that Bella would feel closest to Alice, since she was Alice's mate, but the vampires had forgotten to factor into the equation that Bella was still human and might not feel the same _pull_ that Alice had. He knew the reason why she felt close to him, and that was because he understood her. Edward read her mind freely even though it was never intentional, and he simply knew all the emotions she felt even without Jasper's gift.

"_Bella_…" Edward began to sense her nervous breakdown.

"And I know that _you're_ different too. _So are the others_, _and Alice_." the little human decisively set the truth free. It had been hidden away in the corner of her mind ever since the encounter with the young boy on the beach in Canada. Bella began to notice small things at first. The way they carried themselves, the hours where _all but one_ would go away for a _trip_, and the way their eyes changes colors depending on their mood. Then she began to recognize how she's never seen them eat, the unbelievable strength that they have, their incredible speed, the practice of moving their lips soundlessly to keep her out of their conversations, and their unfathomable beauty that suddenly affected her as she grew older. It all added up to _something_, but she couldn't come up with _anything _at all. It was mind-boggling for the young thinker and curiosity won her over these last few days. She knew that the family had to leave for one of their _trips_ again and Edward would be the one looking over her today. So she led him out to the lake they've found when the family first moved to West Virginia, and decided to set the records straight for herself.

"How long have you known?" Edward asked. He suddenly felt unsure of himself after being caught off-guard by the sudden outbreak in Bella's mind of all the _details_ she had collected of the family over the years. _How had she hid it so well?_ The vampire tried to think real hard about how a young child could just close away certain thoughts. _Detailed thoughts_. It just wasn't possible. None of the others could do that.

"_Jack_." the little girl simply responded.

"_Oh_." Edward couldn't seem to come up with anything more to say as he remembered the little boy from four or so years ago. How was he now to explain to the ten-year-old human that her family was in fact immortals? _How would she take it? How didn't Alice see this beforehand?_

"I know you don't want to tell me. You think I'm too young to understand. _All of you_." Bella's words surprised the vampire beside her again.

"_How do you do that?_" Edward finally asks.

"_Do what?_" Bella responded with a question of her own. Edward's brows furrowed and he tried to penetrate her mind, only to see the serene picturesque lake before them. Her mind zoomed in on the details of the rippling effect on the surface of the body of water, and then quickly jumped to the alpines in the far distance.

"_That_." Edward said pointedly.

"I don't get it." Bella frowned as she watched Edward's upset expression. _What did I do?_ Bella asked herself. Edward was able to read her thought then, and it caused him to be furthermore confused.

"I'm not quite sure what you did." Edward accidentally blurted out. Bella's eyes widened and she began to look at him curiously. _Can you hear me?_ Edward looked at the little girl hesitantly, trying to decide quickly if he should tell her, and then he slowly nodded.

_You can read minds?_

"Yes." Edward said aloud causing the little human to gasp and sit upright.

"Is that why you always _know_ what I'm thinking and feeling?" Bella asked out of curiosity.

"Well, I can see your thoughts and then I get a sense of what you're feeling, but Jasper's the _empath_. He can feel _and _control your emotions." Edward explained before he blinked furiously, realizing his misstep.

"Jasper can _feel_ what _I'm _feeling?" Bella asked confusedly. Edward's brows were knotted again and he pursed his lips in disgruntlement with himself before nodding again.

"So everyone in our family has different powers?" the little girl eagerly asks.

"_Well_, no. Not _everyone_ have powers. We actually call them _gifts_." Edward explained.

"_Oh_, so only you and Jazz have gifts?" Bella inquired.

"Alice has one too." Edward said and began to relax, seeing that the little girl wasn't panicking. In fact, she was unusually calm.

"_She does?_" Bella asked hesitantly before frowning. _She never told me_.

"There's a reason why she didn't tell you. We all agreed that we'd tell you about us when you're…_older_." Edward explained.

"What is _her_ gift?" Bella wanted to know. Edward looked at the little human thoughtfully before answering.

"Alice can see the future, but it's subjective, meaning that it's based on each person's decision that decides what becomes of their future. So once you make a decision and commit to it, Alice will see what your future looks like." Edward prayed that Alice wouldn't be upset with him for telling the little girl of their gifts. He knew how self-conscious she was when it came to Bella, and he hoped that this wouldn't add to the list of her insecurities.

"_I see_." Bella sighed as she lay all the way down on the patch of grass. Her small fingers begin to clasp onto some of the leaves and pulled them gently without plucking them out of the ground.

"_I'm sorry, Bella_." Edward said as he turned his body towards her while still sitting. He had pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs as he gaze down at the little girl all sprawled out on the grass.

"_You don't have to be sorry for being who you are_." Bella quoted Alice. Edward grinned as the little girl closed her eyes and began to let her thoughts be filled with beautiful images and dreams of Alice. Edward chuckled as he unintentionally saw them as well, and Bella's eyes quickly snapped open. The images disappeared instantly and Edward quirked an eyebrow again.

"How did you do that?" Edward asked once more.

"Do what?" the little girl asked again. The both of them broke out in laughter as Bella and Edward realized that they were having the same conversation again.

"How did you make the mental images go away like _that_?" Edward snapped his fingers on the last word to emphasize how quick the snapshots had gone away. Bella giggled and then smiled at the puzzled vampire.

"I just hide them in a room inside my head. When the door is closed, you can't see what's behind the door. When it's opened, I guess you can read my mind." Bella explained it in a simple matter. The explanation perplexed the vampire and caused him to reach up a hand and scratch his head.

"_How did you_… When did you figure this out?" Edward questioned. Bella sat up and mirrored his posture before casually shrugging like it was no big deal.

"Well, I get this _feeling_. When it feels _safe_, I leave the _door_ open. But when I want to keep secrets, I close the door." Bella made an intelligible description of what it's like in her mind.

"Ah, so you panicked when you realized I could see Alice in your – "

"_You saw them?!_" Bella cried out.

"Well, some but – " Edward was cut off again before he could finish.

"_Edward, please don't tell Alice_." the little girl begged. Edward was again mystified by the little creature in front of him. He smiled amusedly at the little girl before nodding his head in agreement. Bella let out a sigh of relief and then turned serious again.

"When will you tell me?" Bella asked. Edward laughed and the ten-year-old just looked at him in confusion.

"I don't think we need to _tell_ you by then. You'll have it all figure out yourself, considering how you're so clever and perceptive even at this age. If anything, Carlisle will answer all the questions you may have. But of course, if you haven't figured it out by the time you're _eighteen_, that's _when_." Edward revealed. Bella's face scrunched up before she dropped her shoulders and let out a sigh.

"Will you all still love me?" Bella's voice dropped to a whisper. Edward's expression was that of surprise as he changed position so that he was now on his knees. He gesture for Bella to stand up and she rose to his eye level on her two feet.

"Bella, we will _always_ love you. _You are forever a part of the family_." Edward said as he looked her in the eyes.

"_Promise?_" Bella held out her pinky. Edward smiled and entwined his pinky with her little one.

"_I promise_." Bella let go of his finger and immediately threw herself into his arms. Edward held her close and the warmth from the child filled him with _hope_. A desire that believed the little girl will someday grow and wholly accept their family.

Edward flickered his eyes to the trees not too far away where Alice was standing and hidden away by the dark shadows. The tears that threatened to fall from her topaz eyes would forever remain unshed as she witnessed _almost _the entire scene before her. Her grip on one of the trees tightened from the overwhelming emotion she felt crumbling inside of her. The hard fibrous materials gave way and were crushed in her granite hand. They fell to the floor like rains of sand falling in an hourglass that measured the passage of time.

It was inevitable that the day would later come.

_Eight more years._

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**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: This was a really interesting chapter to write. I had meant for it to be shorter, but somehow I couldn't stop writing. Um...laugh if you will, or just...go do a funny dance. I don't know. haha I do hope you all enjoy it, and I wish everyone here a wonderful day ahead! Thank you so much for reading! :)**

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_**Two years later…**_

"_Esme!_" A scream came from upstairs while the vampire was cutting up vegetables in the kitchen. The vampire dropped her knife immediately and rushed upstairs. About halfway up the stairs, the pungent smell began to penetrate the right external opening of her nasal cavity. Esme's nose flared instantly and she stopped breathing as she raced the rest of the way to the source of the scream.

"_Bella?_" Esme questioned as she instinctively fell into her usual protective mode around the child. The vampire stood outside of the door and wondered what had gone wrong for the young girl to hurt herself again. It was no surprise to any of the vampires in the house how accident-prone the little girl has become as soon as she began to grow up.

The first time that Bella had ever hurt herself, she had caused the entire house of vampires to turn into a state of frenzy. The little girl had been two and half years old and she was running around the living room like any other frivolous toddler her age. Bella was playing with her small toy pony and was happily galloping around the area when she ran head first into the sharp edge of a table, which then caused her forehead to bleed profusely. Everyone but Carlisle had been home and doing their own things before they caught the highly aromatic smell of human blood in their house. Of course, everybody had then zipped into the living room. Well, everyone _except_ for Jasper who ran far, far away from the Cullens' home since he was still new to their vegetarian diet and was trying to get used to the little human. Alice, Rosalie, and Esme were beyond worried and fussing over the small child who hadn't even cried from the small throbbing wound on her little head. Edward and Emmett had tried as best as they could to calm down the women of the house while they themselves felt helpless and panicky, and Alice had taken it upon herself to call for Carlisle to come home immediately from the hospital. After Bella was taken care of and the small gash was tended to, Bella was up and bouncing again like nothing had ever happened. The vampire family then baby proofed the entire house after the little incident and kept constant watch over her. Yet even though Bella continued to hurt herself throughout the years that had come afterwards, the little human had never called out for help. It was always the vampires finding her with small wounds here and there, causing Alice to constantly worry for her Bella.

Esme stood outside in a panicky mode when she got no answer in return. Just as she was about to knock down the door and barge in, it began to slowly open before she saw part of Bella's reddened face. The smell of blood was now so powerful that Esme had to stop breathing altogether before her throat would start burning.

"_What's wrong, dear?_" Esme asked with a mother's concern, while she let her eyes run over Bella to see where the injury was through the crack of the door.

"I... I don't know what happened." Bella whispered as she looked up into Esme's loving eyes.

"Well, why don't you let me come in and take a look?" Esme asked with all the love and care that a mother would've had for her own child. Bella bit down on her bottom lip and hesitated before she opened the door completely to hers and Alice's room. Esme slowly stepped into the room and her eyes widened as the smell of blood threatened to consume her airway if she dare took even one small breath.

"_Where_ are you hurt?" the vampire asked immediately as she walked over to Bella, who was only dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of briefs, and scanned for the wound. Bella looked down embarrassingly and then she felt a cold finger beneath her chin that lifted her head up. The twelve years old stared into Esme's darkened topaz eyes that were filled with the utmost concern and worry before she began to stutter the next sentence.

"_Uh… Well, um, I was…changing out of my jammies when…ah…here!_" Bella quickly said as she shoved the piece of bloody undergarment into Esme's hand. The vampire immediately looked down and then her eyes widened in shock.

"_Isabella Marie Cullen! What exactly have you done to hurt yourself?_" the vampire tried her best to contain her hysteria as she stared shockingly at the bloodstained underwear. There was so much blood that Esme's eyes immediately lowered down to Bella's private area to see if she was still bleeding.

"I don't know! It just…I was changing, and then _that _was there!" Bella cried in bewilderment. Esme's eyes blinked frantically as she dropped the pair of reddened undies and immediately stepped closer to examine the twelve-year-old. She spun Bella around and tried to find the source of bleeding, but she couldn't spot it at all. Esme immediately took out her phone and called Carlisle, hoping he'd come home and fix whatever it was that was causing her child to bleed like this. After the very first ring, the vampire on the other side of the line picked up.

"Oh Carlisle, dear, there's something terribly wrong with our Bella! She's bleeding and I can't find the source of blood flow!" Esme tried her best not to yell frantically into the phone.

"_Have you ch_ – "

"Yes, I've searched her entire body and it really doesn't explain why her undergarment is _completely_ drenched in – " Esme stopped midsentence as realization loomed over her.

"_I see_." Carlisle chuckled on the line before Esme felt entirely embarrassed for not realizing it earlier.

"I've got it from here. Thank you, dear." Esme said before she quickly hung up on her husband.

"What's _wrong _with me, Esme?" Bella looked at the vampire desperately for an explanation.

"_Bella, we need to talk_." Esme smiled joyfully before she walked the child over to the bed and sat down with her.

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"_So_…does this mean we're going to _have to_ deal with being tempted by Bella's blood for one _whole_ week _every_ single month from now on?" Emmett asked in confusion.

"_Yes, Emmett!_ For the _last_ time, can you please keep it down?" Alice scolded the big burly vampire as she ran her fingers through Bella's brown tresses while the young girl slept with her head in Alice's lap.

The rest of the family had come home from their little hunting trip after Esme's phone call to Carlisle, slightly excited at the news when he explained to them what had happened. Everyone but Emmett was making sense of the situation that they now have to deal with. Bella had begin to have stomach cramps before everyone had returned home, and Esme had called for them to stop by a store to buy some soft materials to absorb Bella's menstrual blood and also grab medication to help with the cramps the poor girl was having.

Bella was initially scared and confused after _the talk_ with Esme, but she had come to understand that it was inevitable for something like this to happen to her human body as she came of age. As soon as Alice and the others had gotten home, Alice raced towards Bella's room to check on her mate. What she hadn't taken into account was the _incredible_ appealing smell of Bella's blood, and Alice had to backtrack and retreat back downstairs to control herself before she could let herself anywhere near Bella. If the vampire could've blushed, her cheeks would've been flushed from the embarrassment of being attracted to Bella's _scent_. Actually, _all_ of the vampires in the house were mortified by their attraction to her blood. It was only when Edward and Jasper started cracking up, because of the same thoughts and emotions of mortification that circled the entire room, that everyone joined in and then discussed about how they've got to be more careful around Bella now that she's going through the menstrual cycle and becoming a _young woman_. Alice's eyes gleamed at those very words, seeing that she's waited so long and Bella was soon going to mature into the woman she's been waiting for in the last ninety or so years since she's been turned.

Alice's gaze dropped down to Bella's serene face as the young girl slept after taking some medication for her stomach cramp. It was only when Bella had fallen asleep that the vampire finally let her guard down and stared lovingly at her mate. The thing that came with Bella's maturity was that the clever little human could see through anything. She swore that the young girl had taken after Carlisle as she was the most curious littlest thing in the house. Bella questioned everything, and she knew a lot more than anyone should at her age.

Over the last few years, Alice had decided to maintain a platonic relationship with the human and requested that her family kept the _mate discussion _until Bella turned eighteen as well. The vampire had tried very hard not to let slip about her feelings for Bella, and it was only when Bella wasn't paying attention that she allowed herself to show her emotions for her mate. The difficult part of all of this was that Bella was very attentive and the only time that Alice could let her guard down and express her feelings was when Bella's asleep.

There were times where everyone in the family could tell that Bella had a stronger pull to Alice than all the others, but then those times began to grow less and less as Bella matured. It had amused everyone, except for Alice of course, how the fun and bubbly little thing had slowly transformed into such a calm and quiet young girl. Although it had been a gradual process, the family couldn't help but wonder how and why Bella had changed so much. She was certainly still the same Bella, but the little bookworm was almost quiet half of the time that she was hanging out with the family.

Alice then slowly let her cold slender finger trace the outline of Bella's jaw but as she reached Bella's chin, she leaned down and kissed Bella's cute little nose. The young girl let out a sigh in her sleep before turning her face towards Alice's torso and curled closer to her in a fetal position.

"I think she's _cold_." Edward commented as he quickly ran up the stair and came back down with the girl's baby blanket that she couldn't ever sleep without. The tall lanky vampire draped the soft cover over the small girl and then went to sit back down in the armchair to Alice's left. Bella snuggled further into Alice and the vampire slid the blanket closer to Bella's small figure so that she would keep warm.

"Poor girl, I thought that she was about to cry from the stomach cramp earlier." Esme said as her eyes glistened. Alice moved a strand of Bella's hair out of her face before lightly caressing her warm skin.

"_She's so strong_." Alice whispered as her hands trailed down the length of the young girl's features.

"She _has _to be." Rosalie inputted as she smiled at the little human who always restrained from showing her weakness. No matter how much pain Bella was in, she never allowed herself to whine or shed a tear over it. It was a characteristic trait that Rosalie had come to love and admire about the human. No one had ever told the little girl to take it like a vampire, but somehow, Bella simply _knew_ she had to be strong. Rosalie knew that if Bella ever cried every time she had hurt herself, Alice's dead heart would break a thousand times over by now. The beautiful blonde let out a sigh as she leaned back onto Emmett's chest, and the two then purred in each other's arms.

"I've always wondered when this would happen." Carlisle mused as the rest of the family began to stare at him in curiosity. "Well, I was expecting it. I didn't think we'd all take the matter so…_calmly_." Carlisle chuckled before he continued. "Alright, maybe _minus this one_ over here." the vampire said as he gestured his eyes towards his mate.

"_What?_ How was I supposed to know that – " Esme tried to explain before Jasper cut in.

"_Why_, didn't you just tell me the other year that you knew _everything _there was to know about taking care of a tiny _human?_" the scarred-skin vampire chuckled as Esme threw him a glare.

"_I do! _But there was a lot of bl – " Esme was then again cut off as Alice hushed her almost silently. Esme let out a sigh of defeat before leaning back into Carlisle's arms, letting him wrap his arm around her to comfort her.

"I can't believe Bella's already got her _period_. The next thing we know, she'll probably be taller than Alice!" Emmett whispered excitedly as everyone started to laugh quietly. Alice glared at her brother before he shrunk back into the loveseat he shared with Rosalie, and Jasper and Edward then smirked at him for trying to joke about such a thing in front of Alice.

"I don't _care_ if she's taller than my 5'2". As long as she's healthy and happy…that's all that really matters." Alice said as she gazed lovingly at Bella.

The room soon fell silent, and everyone sat quietly and watched on the scene before them. It wouldn't be long until Bella matures into a fully-grown young woman. The last twelve years had flown by for the rest of them, even with the constant travelling they do every single year. None of the vampires have ever kept track of time until Bella had come along. They counted the years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds since the moment Alice brought Bella home, because each second of those twelve years _counted _to each of them. Although astrophysicists may say that time was an illusion created to be the very essence of a human's life, it really couldn't be any more true because there was only so much_ time_ they had with Bella as a _human_. Whether it is sooner or later, the human had to _die_.

The thought lingered for a short while in Alice's mind before she stopped herself from thinking about her human mate in such a negative light. Alice slowly slid one of her arms beneath Bella's nape and the other arm wrapped under Bella's knees before she lifted the small human up and began to climb her way up the stairs. The vampire smoothly danced towards the top at a comforting pace for the both of them, and then walked down the hallway to their bedroom.

As soon as she reached it, she gently pushed the door open and walked them over to the bed before she carefully laid Bella down. The young girl immediately turned onto her side as she connected with the bed, and Alice covered her again with her baby blanket and another sheet to keep her warm. Alice then sat beside the bed as she crossed her arms and leaned onto the edge before setting her chin on top, watching the angelic face as the little girl slept soundly in their bed.

"_So beautiful_." Alice whispered as she reached a hand out and brushed another strand of strayed hair behind Bella's small ear. She leaned back onto her arm and then closed her eyes as she began to let the memories of them flood her mind as she does every night when Bella sleeps.

_I love you_, Alice thought as the images of her mate's warm brown eyes stared back into hers.

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**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: There are sooooooo many irrelevant details in this chapter, but I hope that you enjoy it anyway. Decided to update quickly since you folks are sooooooo good to me when it comes to reviews. ;) Cheers!**

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_**One year later…**_

There was something so _ethereal_ about her beauty. It was quite strange, considering that she was living under the same roof with a bunch of unrealistically beautiful vampires. Even to them, her allure had even acquired a whole new level on the spectrum of eye-appeal. Of course, this had gone completely unnoticed by Bella. Alice sat on the porch in their backyard as she watched the thirteen-year-old human spar with the experienced vampire fighter. Bella was completely drenched in sweat, donning only a fitted grey tank top and a pair of running shorts for the activity. Alice couldn't help but stare as the simple fabric material clung tightly against the human's majestic form. The vampire could hear the young girl's heart drumming rapidly to pump blood through her circulatory system. The fast rhythmic contraction and dilation of the developing hollow muscular organ sent a rippling reflection of sound waves outward, reaching Alice's ears and causing her to close her eyes as she relish in the delicate sound of Bella's beating heart. The sound of blood rushing through the human before her had caused Alice to feel a comfort she'd never felt anywhere else. It was one of the first things that Alice remembered about their first meeting back in the forest of Forks thirteen years before. Those were the same heartbeats that led the vampire to believe that there was a reason for why there were two ventricles in a human heart. One was for the owner of the heart, and the other…for another. So Alice felt that one heart was _enough_. One heart beating for the two of them, pumping not only blood through Bella's circulatory system, but also pouring _life_ into Alice's existence.

"_One! One! Two!_ Good, now you need to put a bit more power behind those right punches!" Jasper yelled loudly over the human's heavy breathing as she threw a pattern of repeated punches against the boxing pads he held before him. Bella breathed out with each punch she threw just as Jasper had instructed, and she tightened her solid fist as her right wrapped hand connected with the pad once more with an improved powerful blow.

"Good! Now, we're going to switch it up a bit, Bella. I'm going to call out numbers and I want you to pick up your speed as fast as you can, alright?" Jasper called out before Bella quickly nodded.

"_One! One! One! One! One!_" Jasper yelled as Bella threw fast left jabs and tried to control her breathing.

"_Two! One! One! Two!_" the vampire shouted as Bella used her right fist to throw one powerful punch before going for two quick left jabs and then back to one solid blow with her right again. Bella breathed heavily before Jasper called out another different set of numbers.

"_One! Two! One! Two! One! Two! _Remember when you pull your hands back, you got to bring it back up and protect your head! Good! That's perfect! Okay, now you're going to give me _one full minute_ of quick bursts, and _then_ we're going to call it day, yes?" Jasper quickly said before he began yelling out numbers again. The human was tired beyond belief, but she held on and pushed herself towards the end of that minute, making every strike count and leaving two vampires very proud. Bella let out a small laugh as Jasper smiled and raised his right pad up for a high five, and Bella connected a nice solid punch to the pad in return. Bella was breathing hard and trying her best to catch her breath as she slid down to the ground and then laid flat on her back staring up into the evening sky. The grueling training usually lasted for about an hour before daylight ended.

"Nice job, Bella. Your form is _almost_ impeccable now, and you, my dear, were throwing some _serious_ blows there. Could've knocked me out if I hadn't protected my head properly." the vampire joked as Alice chuckled from the porch. Alice got up from where she sat and danced over to where Bella laid on the ground before standing over her. She bent down and effortlessly pulled Bella up by her forearms, and began to unfasten the boxing gloves off of Bella's hands. Alice then started to unwrap the handwraps that had been secured tightly around Bella's hands. The human hands were made up of many small joints and small bones that could've easily fractured from the impact of repeated punches. So the handwraps were there to hold the hand together, providing support for the wrists, fingers, knuckles, and the entire hand itself. Not only do the handwraps secure all bones, joints, and ligaments of the hand, but they also help distribute the shock of punching. Its main purpose was protecting the boxer's hands. Many people incorrectly think handwraps are for extra cushion or protection for the knuckles, but the handwrap's purpose is not to cushion the impact; that's what the boxing gloves were for. Bella let out a sigh as soon as the handwraps came off, and Alice gently kneaded the young girl's hands to relieve some of the ache she knew Bella always kept silent about after their vigorous training sessions.

"_Thanks, Alice_." Bella said shyly before grinning appreciatively at the vampire that was relieving the soreness in her hands. Alice smiled at her human mate and then slowly let her hands trail up the young girl's toned arms and rubbed out as many knots that she possibly can. Every few seconds or so, Bella would try to keep her groans silent but the sounds never escaped the vampires' ears. Alice's topaz eyes swiftly connected with that of Jasper before sending him a quick glare at which he silently chuckled. Alice returned her gaze back to Bella's features and watched as the girl flinched every now and then when Alice came across a really tight knot in her arms. The sounds worried Alice more than she could ever express, but she tried to keep on a mildly concern face as Bella let out slow and steady breath through the thorough rubdown.

"I think that's good." Bella said before she carefully retracted her hands from Alice's grasp. She smiled at Alice before bending down and picking up the long elastic wraps and the pair of boxing gloves. Jasper pulled his hands out of the boxing pads and then gestured to the house before making his quick escape.

Alice then went to grab the towel lying on the porch and swiftly came back with it before Bella could follow her moves. Alice begins to dab the cloth against Bella's forehead and wiped away all of her perspiration as she slowly inhaled the beautiful aromatic scent that belong to no other but her Bella. Bella smiled shyly when she looked into Alice's eyes, and Alice returned one of her own before she handed the towel over to Bella.

As always, Alice took the boxing gloves and handwraps out of Bella's hands and then began to make her way into the house through the backdoor to go put the items away. Bella quickly followed while steadily wiping away at the sweat that continued to roll down from the top of her head, and she closed the door behind her before she started to make her way towards the kitchen where she knew Esme would be waiting.

"Goodness, what have you children done to my child?" Esme said in concern as she made her way over to Bella who had sat down at the kitchen island. Jasper chuckled as he walked over and sat down to Bella's left.

"Nothing our little Bella couldn't handle." Jasper smiled proudly as he twirled a pen in his hand. Bella closed her eyes as Esme leaned in and kissed her on her forehead, enjoying the love emanating from her dear mother. Esme then walked over to the kitchen and began putting together all the ingredients she had earlier prepped for Bella's dinner. Jasper and Bella watched in amusement as Esme tossed some vegetables together to make a small bowl of salad before she placed it before Bella.

Esme then went back to cooking the balsamic-glazed salmon with edamame and snap peas. In a small saucepan, Esme brought the vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, and garlic to a boil over medium heat. She then reduced the heat to a simmer and cooked it until the sauce slowly thickened. Next, the vampire placed the prearranged salmon that was seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper on the baking sheet and slid it into the preheated 400 F degrees oven. Esme then zipped over to the medium skillet that was sitting over the stove and heated it up to medium-high heat before adding shallots, salt, and pepper. She cooked it for about three minutes until it was softened, and added garlic up to when it smelled aromatic before adding edamame and snap peas. Esme cooked them until they were warmed through and then seasoned it with a little bit of salt and pepper. She danced across the kitchen and grabbed a beautiful ceramic plate prior to pouring the veggies delicately onto the dish. After that was done, she glanced up at her children and chuckled as she saw that Bella and Jasper were watching her in awe.

"Now you two, quit staring at me like that. The balsamic-glazed salmon will be done in about five minutes, Bella. Do you want any more salad, dear?" Esme asked cheerfully and Bella just shook her head in as a negative response. Esme turned around and began stirring the ingredients in the small saucepan before switching off the heat completely and set it aside to let the sauce cool. She then waltz over to the oven and amusedly put on oven mitts in anticipation to pulling out the salmon that was now roasted to the point where it was cooked through. Esme slid the piece of center-cut salmon fillet over the veggies on the plate and then placed the baking pan in the sink. She walked over to the small saucepan and then picked it up before watchfully drizzling it over the salmon fillet. When the dish seemed to look perfect and appetizing enough, Esme glided over to where Bella was seating and placed the appealing platter in front of the young ravenous human.

"Thanks, mom." Bella smiled brightly before she picked up her eating utensils. Esme smiled and leaned in to give her a quick peck on top of the head before she went back over to the part of the kitchen where chaos had ensued earlier. Jasper chuckled as Esme happily cleaned up the mess she had made, and then he turned back to look at the human beside him eating.

"How does it taste? Any good?" Jasper decided to humor himself. Bella nodded excitedly before she took another bite of the salmon. She moaned in delight and wanted so badly to bounce up and down in her seat at the goodness of all that was in the seafood. Well, her mother's cooking to be exact. Jasper dissolved into laughter beside her, and he heard Alice's footsteps before she even entered the room.

"_What's going on?_" Alice questioned as she sit down to Bella's right. Bella moaned again at the incredible flavor and Alice giggled as she suddenly realized why Bella was making all those sensual sounds. The vampire shook her head in amazement as she thought of the fact that Bella was probably the only person she knew that would associate food with this much amount of pleasure.

"This is _so _good." Bella barely moaned again before she started choking on the piece of edamame that she had forgotten to chew. Bella coughed and hacked loudly, trying to get the little piece of green soybean out of her throat because it was obstructing her breathing. Alice and Jasper immediately stood up and surrounded Bella's bent over form where she was still forcefully expelling air from her lungs with sudden sharp sounds and now desperately clutching at her throat.

"_Bella!_" Alice yelled frantically in fear as Jasper started giving her five back blows while restraining his vampire strength. When that didn't work, Jasper immediately got behind Bella, wrapped his arms around her waist and tipped her forward lightly, making a fist with one hand before positioning it slightly above her navel. He grasped the fist with his other hand while pressing hard enough into the abdomen with a quick upward thrust, and then performed five abdominal thrusts on Bella. Her airway had instantly cleared on his fifth attempt at doing the Heimlich maneuver, and she coughed up the green soybean and fell relaxed back into his arms.

"Wow, thanks Jazz!" Bella said breathlessly as she began to close her eyes in relief. That had been a close call and she could now hear Esme berating her about eating slowly in a close distance.

"_Bella! You gave us all a scare!_" Alice cried beside her, which caused Bella to reopen her eyes and look into Alice's concerned topaz ones. She managed a small grin before she reached out and caressed Alice's cheek. The vampire immediately threw her arms around Bella and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"_Sorry_." Bella whispered as she regained her even breathing again. Alice pulled back in her arms and then gave Bella a scolding look, making her look away in shame. She felt a cold hand on her cheek, pulling her vision back to Alice.

"None of this careless eating habit again, understood? Or else I'll take away _all_ of your solid foods and make you go back to drinking _fluids_." Alice threatened and Bella's eyes widened in fear.

"_No, I promise!_" Bella hurriedly said as Esme and Jasper laughed beside them. It really has been a very long time since Bella had been feeding on fluids. The three vampires briefly recalled the first five months of simplicity when Bella only had formula milk. They all stared at each other with knowing eyes and smiled as they remembered the fond memories of baby Bella.

"You better keep that promise. _I meant what I said_." Alice asserted before she sat back down in the chair at the kitchen island. Bella dropped her shoulders in defeat and then resumed to her seat.

"You're overreacting, Al." Bella smiled again before she picked up her fork and began to toss the green soybeans and snap peas aside in her plate.

"_Don't I always?_" Alice challenged the girl as she quirked an eyebrow at her. Bella sighed and rolled her brown eyes as she began to cut into a piece of the salmon fillet and brought it up to her mouth. She chewed more slowly this time to please the girl sitting next to her. It was pretty much old news that Alice would overreact over every single thing that had to do with Bella, and the human had grown quite accustomed to Alice's overprotectiveness.

"_Yeah, drives me crazy sometimes_." Bella muttered, thinking no one could hear her.

_You drive me pretty crazy too_, Alice adoringly thought of her mate as she stayed quiet and watched the little human eat in fascination.

If only Bella knew.

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**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Our little munchkin is growing up so fast! :) Enjoy!**

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_**One year later…**_

Bella let out another sigh as she switched into a new sitting position on the modern silver satin sofa. Her brown eyes wander the high-end store as she tried to find something interesting to look at, but all she saw were mirrors and flashy outfits everywhere.

Shopping is an _experience, _someone had said to her. Well, that _someone_ was certainly funny in the head when they told her that, because shopping was one of the most boring activities known to humankind. Bella let out an additional sigh as she uncrossed her legs and try to advert the salesman's gaze. He's been staring at her _and_ her _sisters_ ever since they had set foot into the fancy boutique with bright lights, nodding sycophants, and stylish clothing. Bella made an effort not to roll her eyes as soon as Alice and Rosalie emerged from the fitting rooms for the twentieth time and looked at their beautiful reflections in the mirrors surrounding them.

"_What do you think, Bella?_" Alice asked as she flattened out the ends of the nicely cut elegant dress. The getup was very chic and classy, and it gave Alice a very provocative look but for some reason it didn't sit well with the human girl. Bella gulped and adverted her eyes as soon as she realized she had been checking out _her_ Alice.

"_Um, it's…uh, nice?_" Bella had difficulty forming words as she lowered her gaze to the cream carpeted floor. Alice frowned in response at Bella's answer, and she then turned to Rosalie to ask for her thoughts on the red dress that she felt hugged her lithe body in perfection.

"It's not just _nice_, is it Rose? I happen to think that it's a perfect fit." Alice played it off with nonchalance as she chanced a glance Bella's way, only to see that the fourteen-year-old human's eyes were wandering anywhere in the retail store but her.

"_It's nice_." Rosalie said curtly without taking her eyes off her own reflection in the mirror. Alice let out a groan and rolled her eyes before she decided to trudge back into the fitting room to try on another dress.

Rosalie smirked at herself in the mirror before turning around to find a pair of beautiful brown eyes staring at her. She crossed her arms and quirked an eyebrow as she slowly walked up to Bella. The human shrunk back in the satin seat and looked up at the pair of topaz eyes staring down at her.

"_Nice_ huh?" Rosalie teased as the young girl began to flush in red and look away. Bella felt a slender cold finger on her cheek before it guided her back to face Rosalie. The beautiful blonde stared at her with an impish smile before she tapped Bella's nose and then turned around and walked back into the fitting room.

Not even a minute later, Alice came out from the fitting room in a more _complex_ piece and this time, Bella couldn't tear her eyes away from the beautiful girl in front of her. Alice danced over to the mirror and stare at herself in amusement as she took in the intricate details of the pretty black dress trimmed with ebony lace. Bella stared appreciatively at Alice's back, slowly taking in the see-through material and felt her breathing hitch so suddenly that she had to turn away in order to cough to clear her airway. Alice turned around immediately when she heard Bella clear her throat, and she smiled knowingly as she saw the girl's flushed face. Bella's breath hitched again as she caught the sight of Alice turning around, and she could've _sworn_ she's never seen anyone so utterly beautiful in her entire life.

"_Bella?_" Alice asked when she realized that Bella was zoning out on her. The young girl immediately perked up and smiled as she found Alice's honey-colored eyes on her. Alice strode over to where Bella sat on the satin sofa, and then elegantly dropped down beside her. Bella gasped in surprise and then looked over to see Alice staring right back at her.

"_What do you think?_" Alice questioned with a soft feather-like voice before she threw her head back and rested her hand on her head as though she was pretending to faint. Bella blinked frantically at the overly dramatic, yet seductive, pose and she opened her mouth in an attempt to say something, but no words would escape her. Alice giggled as soon as she reopened her eyes and saw Bella's expression, and she straightened up before leaning an elbow on the armrest of the satin settee.

"_Nice_, no?" Alice teased the human girl as Bella blushed again.

"_Alice_…" Bella quietly whine but it was loud enough for the vampire to hear.

"_What?_" Alice asked innocently. Bella turned and looked pointedly at the girl before she got up and stood before Alice.

"I _know _what you _are_, and that includes what you can _do_." Bella said as she crossed her arms, scolding the vampire for trying to mess with her head. Alice stared up at Bella in amusement and then stood up on her two feet too. They were now about the same height, and Alice's eyes danced with mischief as she stared right into Bella's pair of brown orbs.

"_Oh yeah?_ Would you care to explain _what _it is that I _am_ and _what_ I can _do_?" Alice said seductively even though she knew that it would further irk Bella. The young girl could barely process Alice's provocative tone, let alone the vampire's words. Before she could open her mouth to say something, a voice beside them turned up unexpectedly, causing both the vampire and the human to jump in surprise.

"_Excuse me_ for interrupting, but aren't you _Alice Dupont_, the model who was featured in the French Teen Vogue 1996 magazine issue?" An attractive young woman that appeared to be in her early twenties took a closer step towards the both of them, causing the two to step back in response. Bella looked at the young woman in confusion but Alice's eyes twinkled in amusement. After sensing that there was no danger lurking around, Alice decided to take a step forward and smiled at the girl, who was quite frankly beginning to spaz out from adoration for Alice.

"I'm sorry, I think you've got the wrong person." Alice smiled apologetically before the young woman deflated immediately right before their eyes.

"_Oh_, I'm so sorry! You two just look so…_alike_." The young woman continued to stare at Alice in a state of awed admiration, but Bella began to feel uncomfortable at the way the girl was staring at Alice. Bella hesitantly stepped forward and then took Alice's hand before giving it a little pull. Alice looked beside her and immediately saw Bella's uneasiness, and she returned her gaze back to the young woman who was still in a daze before her.

"I've got to go, but it was a _very_ delightful experience to meet you." Alice quickly excused herself before she turned around and headed into the fitting room. Almost immediately, Rosalie emerged from hers with some clothing hanging on her right arm and Bella was about to step forward towards her, but then she suddenly felt a hand on her wrist. She turned around and stared at the woman as she held out a card and placed it in Bella's hand.

"Can you please give this to her?" Before Bella could respond, the young woman had swiftly walked away, heels clicking loudly as she did so. Bella looked down at the card in her hand and noticed that there was a name and number written on it. The young girl looked at it in confusion, wondering what it was all about before she heard Rosalie's voice behind her.

"Who knew Alice would still be so popular even five years later?" Rosalie chuckled as the fitting room's door next to her flew open.

"I don't know how she even recognized me. It was only a small part in the spread." Alice said coolly before she handed the clothes she was holding in her hand to the salesman who had been creeping behind in the background. Rosalie threw hers at the creepy young man and rolled her eyes as she strutted over to Bella and took her hand.

"Come on, Bella. Let's go to that shoe store we passed on our way here. Alice can meet us there after she pays for the purchases." Rosalie said as she pulled on Bella's hand, but the girl simply wouldn't move. Rosalie looked back as Bella extricated her hand from the vampire's and walked over to Alice and handing the business card over to Alice.

"She told me to give this to you." Bella said hesitantly and felt uneasiness within her as Alice took the card from her hand. Alice looked it over, flipping the card back and forth before shrugging and ripping the notecard in half. Bella felt strangely relieved at the action but couldn't seem to really understand why. She just knew that she didn't like the way the older woman's eyes had roamed Alice's body from earlier, or even the way she had _tried _to speak to _her _Alice. There were certain questions floating around inside her head, but Bella felt too afraid to even address it.

"Are you sure you don't want anything from this store? I saw a _really_ _nice _dress over there, and I bet it'll look _amazing _on you." Alice's eyes sparkled as she imagined how beautiful Bella would look in the stylish dark blue dress.

"Yeah… _No_." Bella said quickly before she turned on her heels and walked over to Rosalie who was waiting for her.

"_No goodbye kiss? Not even a hug?_" Alice pouted as she joked. Bella turned her head around and smiled cheekily when she saw the adorable pout on Alice's beautiful features.

"See you later, Allie-gator!" Bella waved before she walked side by side with Rosalie out of the upscale retail store.

Alice let out a sigh as she watched Bella walked away from her. She really missed Bella's younger days when the little human would race up to her and greet her with a kiss and a hug.

Yet little did the vampire know, there would be plenteous of hugs and kisses in store for her in the not-so-far future.

It was by fate that they had met after all.

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**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: So…this is my writing at 3am in the morning. lol Hope you enjoy my late night thought process. Oh, and by the way, you folks are awesome. I feel so much love and support for this story. It's incredible. ;) Thank you so much for reading.**

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_**Continued…**_

Rosalie dragged Bella by the hand as they stare at the various types of heels displayed on the glass shelves. The young girl groaned as the beautiful blonde continued further into the store and pulled her along. Several salespeople greeted them, but whereas Rosalie ignored their attention, Bella was the one to politely tell the store's employees that they didn't need any assistance as of yet. Rosalie rolled her eyes as the males in the store gawked at her from afar in their seats while they waited on whichever girls that were venturing around in the large shoe store.

"You really need some work on that attitude, Rose." Bella snickered before she was backhanded on the rear of her head. She squeaked from the sudden strike and turned to glare at the blonde as she rubbed the back of her head. Rosalie had already turned away from Bella and was now staring at a row of pumps and sandals, secretly smirking when the fourteen-year-old begin walking away while muttering some curses under her breath that she thought had gone unheard by the vampire.

Bella then decided to sit down at one of the leather sofas in the center of the shop while she waited, not knowing how long Rosalie was planning on spending time there. Just as she sat down, Bella noticed from the corner of her eye that she was already being watched by several of the gawking young men that had been staring at Rosalie earlier. Bella tried her best to ignore their open stares, but soon she began to feel uncomfortable and she stood up and decided to go walk around the shoe boutique instead.

As naturally beautiful and confident as she might be, it was only _human _for Bella to feel self-conscious with so many pairs of eyes on her all at once. The moment she had hit puberty, physical developments had occurred, causing the little girl to gradually accept the feminine changes being made to her body. Places had filled out where they had not years ago, and with Bella being dressed more maturely than others her age, it often resulted in people mistaking her for being a few years older than she really was. Walking around in a pair of black designer pants, a charming embroidered silk blouse, and a set of Manolo Blahnik ankle boots, anyone could've mistaken her for a very well dressed seventeen-year-old at best. Rosalie and Alice's fashion styles have certainly grown on her, but she was always dressed essentially neutral enough that it bordered between a delicate and unsophisticated look. The others always shared the attention she received whenever she went out with her family, but when she was truly alone on her own as she walked down the aisle now, the interests she drew from people made her feel quite unsettled.

Bella wasn't ignorant about her allure. She knew it well from past experiences. The moment people whisper, "_You are so beautiful_." meaning to open up her human heart, Bella would be _gone_. She understood how superficial those words meant, even the word _beautiful _by itself. Bella didn't know how to feel beautiful about her body, but she knew _one thing_, and that was how to be a beautiful person. She took pride in the way that her family had raised her, and she carefully applied every lesson learned to her daily habits. Bella had grown to understand how people have placed her family on a pedestal, seeing as other humans are entirely too captivated by their physicality. Bella knew that _if_ her family could design their own body, they would want it to be a little less hollowed glass, so that people wouldn't look through them as they appear on the surface. It's not like they would want to be the person who'd start a romance with a toilet bowl to shed their shame, but they wanted to be _seen_ for who they are. Yes, their bodies were beautiful, but they didn't want people to confuse their bodies for who they really are. Bella's thoughts wander as she began to think about the person who she thought was the most beautiful in her eyes.

_Alice_.

It hadn't gone unnoticed by Bella in the past few months how she's been acting around the girl who she saw as her best friend. The reactions that emitted from Bella whenever Alice was near frustrated the young girl. It had gotten to the point where she had asked for her own bedroom months ago, claiming to her family that she felt too old to be sharing a room with Alice. As easily as it was for Bella to lie to her family, she wasn't able to lie to herself. Those were the feelings she's read in books and seen in movies.

_Bella loved Alice_. That much she knew.

Bella was cognizant enough to understand the feelings she was beginning to develop for her best friend, but then she decided to block the halls in her mind anyway. In those same hallways, she tripped over Alice and fell into metaphors, digressing into the world of love, passion, ardor, devotion, and attachment. She lived in a world of words and constantly convinced herself that her closing mechanism was in need of repair.

That she would never let herself overstep the boundary of their friendship.

Little did Bella know, when she had spend enough time pressing her heart against Alice's, she'd forever memorize the sound of her heart's thumps echoed back when Alice's heart remained silent. And while she lay in bed alone at night in her newer bedroom, Bella would then remember the way she had thought she heard Alice whisper her name across the crowded room, and she would hear her heart echo Alice's name in return as she fell into slumber.

Everything she thought she knew was so muddled, and yet so clear all at once.

"_Bella?_" the young girl heard an angelic voice awaken her from the daze she was in. Bella turned around and saw Alice staring at her in concern, and she smiled to reassure the vampire that she was fine. Alice bit down on her bottom lip in consideration before she let it go, and then look at the ankle boots Bella had zoned out on.

"You want another pair?" Alice asked as she reached for the Ann Demeulemeester fold-over leather buckle boot. Bella held out her hand and Alice gave it to her, and they both stood there and examined the leather footwear.

"It has two buckles." Bella commented as she looked it over again.

"Well, okay then." Alice said before she went to put it back on the shelf. Bella stretched out a hand and stopped Alice midway, and she took it back.

"Doesn't hurt to try it on, right?" Bella smiled before she gestured for a salesperson to come over and get the boots in her size. She sat down on the leather sofa with Alice and waited, feeling a little better that Alice was there with her. The men continued to stare as they both just sat quietly waiting for the salesgirl to come back with the pair of boots. Although the stares were awkward, the silence that had enveloped them both was a comfortable one. It was in these silent moments that Bella's heart began to hammer erratically. Her heart was telling her how badly her hands wanted to touch Alice even though her mind denied it of that desire. And before Bella knew it, her heart was already trying to apologize for her unworthy fingerprints on the glass window through which she looked at the beautiful vampire who loves her.

Bella should've been afraid, but she couldn't find herself to fear Alice. It wasn't because Alice was a vampire that scared her. It was her love for Alice that did.

Alice turned and looked at Bella, wondering why her heart was beating so fast. She stared at the young girl with a worried expression before scanning the room to see if there was something scaring her mate. When she sensed that nothing was wrong, she turned back to look at Bella in confusion, wondering what was affecting Bella that much. Bella noticed Alice's concerned look again and guiltily reached a hand up to caress Alice's beautiful face to reassure her that everything was fine. Alice closed her eyes at the warmth emanating from her mate's hand and leaned into her touch, feeling the love pulsing through her with hope. Bella gaze at Alice in adoration as she witnessed how loving vampires were and how much they desire to be loved in return.

Some people were born with _venom_ in their blood, and that doesn't make them wrong.

_It simply makes them more human._

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**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I hope I captured Bella's emotions all right in this chapter. I was trying to think back to the time when I was fifteen when I was writing, and I remember being confused about a lot of **_**things**_**. Some progress here. Hope you all enjoy the chapter! :)**

**+ I've been getting a lot of "_When did Bella realize they are vampires?_" questions. The answer to that is...it will be revealed in the future. I thought that you folks would be clever enough to catch that Bella would realize it _earlier_ since she's a gifted child. *shrugs* In ch17, it was really a playful banter between Alice and Bella (Alice not knowing that Bella knew and thought she was probably bluffing). In ch18, we explore Bella's thoughts and feelings, and see that she _knows_ her family isn't human. When I write _vampires_, I don't mean to say that Bella knows that they're vampires. Maybe it's because I write it in third person omniscient that has some of you folks thinking that Alice knows what Bella knows and vice versa. But that isn't true. You've got to read more carefully to catch onto those subtle things, you know? I understand skimming is inevitable, because I do it too, but I prefer hinting at things with subtlety rather than overdramatizing everything while writing. Anyway, I hope that cleared things up a bit for some of you. :) Have a nice day! **

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_**One year later…**_

"I swear, I'm going to give that guy a _real_ nosebleed if he keeps on staring at you." Alice hissed low enough for only her and Bella to hear. Bella chuckled before resuming to eat the linguine with white clam sauce. If Alice's glare could burn a hole through his head, the boy's brain would've really been fried by now.

The family had all gone hunting, and Alice of course had volunteered to stay behind. Alice had been feeling bored staying cooped inside all day, so she decided that she'd take Bella out for dinner and a movie. Alice was incredibly excited to get out of the house, whereas Bella on the other hand was making an effort to keep her behaviors in check and trying her best to not view it as a date. The poor fifteen-year-old really didn't have a clue of where to start about the confusion she had about her feelings. So there they were, in a more casual setting than usual, with Bella enjoying a decent quick and easy meal.

"I think you've got it all wrong, Al. He's _staring_ at _you_." Bella deadpanned before she twirled several long pieces of pasta with her fork and took another small bite. Alice rolled her eyes at the adolescent human, not wanting to go over how perfect she thought Bella was. The last time she'd done it, the girl literally locked herself in the bathroom and cried for twenty whole minutes. That happened when Bella was only _thirteen_ too. Staring at the fifteen-year-old in front of her now, Alice couldn't but smile at how much her little girl has grown and how beautiful she's become.

Of course, nothing could escape Bella's observant skill as she caught the eye-roll from Alice and it made her fidget in her seat because she knew Alice was biting down on her tongue and holding back her argument. Bella could still remember that plain day when she had began to feel insecure about herself at thirteen years of age. They were having a family outing at an auto car show, and everyone in her family was walking around, completely unconcerned with all the stares that they were receiving. Everyone but Bella, as no one would expect. Alice had noticed how Bella's behavior had changed by the end of the auto show and immediately decided to ask Bella what was wrong when they've gotten home. Bella had been quite stubborn and did not wanted to answer, but needless to say, Alice kept on pressing her about why she was suddenly so dispirited. Their family, somehow caught in the middle of it all, decided to leave the two girls be, and the house had been quickly overwhelmed with emotions.

"_Fine! You want to know why? You're all so damn beautiful, and I'm just…me!" Bella finally let out. She had felt unworthy and worried that she didn't belong with her family. Bella had known they were different, seeing the way their beauty affected others, and insecurity had been the last thing on Bella's mind. Bella couldn't understand why she felt unconfident and insecure all of a sudden, but the feelings were drowning her to an unimaginable depth and that made Bella self-conscious for the very first time in her life. _

"_Bella…" Alice let out a sigh of relief. She had previously thought that it was something she'd done wrong, but finally discovering that Bella was merely uncomfortable with their beauty, a genetic makeup of their becoming a vampire, made her feel a little bit relieved. _

"_I think you're perfect." Alice softly said as she smiled at her mate. _

_But it wasn't the best thing to say to a young girl while she was still overwhelmed with insecurity and feared of being abandoned because of how she felt she didn't amount to their allure. Bella suddenly ran past Alice and up the stairs, shutting the door as she slid down to the floor with fresh tears brimming her eyes. Alice who had been too stun to process what had just happened finally ran upstairs and started gently knocking on the locked door, begging Bella to open it for her._

_Bella's tears slid down her face and she racked her brain for the reason for her reaction but couldn't find one. She simply didn't get it at all, and neither did the vampire on the other side of the door. _

_Alice just knew from that day onward that she'd never stop trying to subtly make Bella feel beautiful about herself. _

_No matter what._

"Is there something wrong, honey?" Alice's voice snapped Bella out of her trance, and she looked over to see a pair of concerned topaz eyes. Bella shook her head and smile, then looked down at her plate and pushed it forward and away from her.

"I'm done." Bella simply said as she wiped at the corner of her mouth with the napkin. Alice looked down at the half-eaten plate and then brought her gaze back to Bella.

"Leaving that much room for dessert huh?" Alice teased Bella anyway because she knew that Bella always loved to order something sweet after her meals. Bella nodded excitedly as Alice raised a hand to gesture for the waitron to come by.

"_The girl and her sweet tooth_." Alice sighed quietly.

* * *

"Change of plans. We're heading to the gym to work out with the boys." Alice said after she got off the phone and pulled the passenger door open for her human mate.

"What! But – "

"Yeah, they got back early and seeing that you hardly ate any of that pasta and indulged yourself with two orders of chocolate cake, I think a good workout is definitely in order. Oh, and don't forget about the soda and popcorn you had afterwards!" Alice smiled wickedly before closing the door after Bella. She swiftly zipped to the driver's side and got in, catching a scowl from Bella as she chanced a glance her way.

Alice would never admit it, but she enjoyed Bella's training sessions more than she knew she should. It was a carnal desire to watch her mate doing vigorous exercise and see Bella getting stronger each day. She felt better knowing that her little fragile human could take on several assailants if the situation ever calls for it. Alice would _never_ let that happen if she could help it, but seeing how clumsy and gullible Bella can be, it was hard to tell and she thought it was definitely better to be safe rather than be sorry. There was also one other thing that excited Alice when Bella worked out. It was her perspiration. When Bella sweat, her scent would seem to increase by ten-fold, overwhelming all of Alice's senses to the level of bringing the vampire to state of euphoria. It grew into something Alice overtime became enslaved to, an addiction that Alice couldn't completely understand, and when she went to Carlisle about it, he said to her that it was just a _way_ of satisfying her _sexual_ _need _for her mate.

"But I just ate an hour ago, Alice." Bella frowned and Alice mirrored her expression too before her eyes begin to light up.

"You can watch me and the boys exercise while your body digest the food, alright?" Alice offered and Bella looked at her skeptically for a moment before nodding her head.

It took Alice about twenty minutes to drive across town and when Bella asked her about how they were going to work out in the clothes that they were in now, Alice just simply tapped her head causing Bella to roll her brown eyes. _Of course_, Alice saw how their day would end.

They walked into the small gym that they try to go to at least once a week, and Alice friendly greeted the people at the front desk before grabbing Bella's hand and pulling her along. Bella felt her heart skip a beat as she felt Alice's cool hand wrapped around hers, and for some reason she felt warmer than usual from the cold touch. As they entered the women's locker room, Bella realized that they were going to have to change together and she opted to stand outside since she didn't have to exercise just yet.

"Don't be silly, Bella." Alice rolled her eyes at the shy girl as she would have none of it, and pulled her further into the women's locker anyway. Bella bit down on her lower lip and wonder how she could escape the scene without Alice's notice. That would've been impossible.

"Why does she have to be a freaking seer?" Bella muttered under her breath and then she heard Alice giggle.

"What has you so tensed today, little one?" Alice said as she set down the large duffel bag carrying both of their athletic apparel. She unzipped the bag and took out a pair of spandex shorts and a pink racer tank top for herself before she pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of runner shorts for Bella. Alice laid the clothes down on the bench seat and then began to take off her top in front of the shy girl. Bella looked wide-eye at the beautiful vampire undressing before her and immediately turned around, blushing red as she unintentionally replayed the image of Alice's pale skin that she had seen five seconds ago.

Alice rolled her eyes as she changed clothes at her vampire speed after Bella had turned around, and then she began to open one of the lockers and stuffed the duffel bag into the spacious compartment. Alice looked over to Bella and saw that she was still standing with her back facing Alice, so the vampire decided to sneak over to the young girl and give her a little scare. She simply zipped the short distance to where Bella was and Alice smiled as she heard Bella's fast heartbeats, wondering why Bella was still so shy around her. As soon as she was standing behind the poor girl, Alice quickly wrapped her arms around Bella's waist and embraced Bella from behind. Bella being caught off guard yelped in response, causing Alice to giggle with the most melodious sound. Bella attempted to turn around and scold the vampire for scaring her, but Alice's grip on her was too strong and she simply couldn't move. Alice enjoyed the comfort of having her mate in her arms, and playfully held on.

"_Alice_…" Bella then whined and Alice caved in at the tone, but before letting go, she quickly leaned in and brushed her lips against the side of Bella's neck. Bella's blush reddened even more and she glared at Alice before she went over to the pile of clothes Alice had laid out for her. Bella turned and stared at Alice, giving her a pointed look before Alice rolled her eyes once more prior to turning around herself. Alice muttered a few incoherent words about the both of them being girls and there being nothing she haven't seen before. Bella caught a few words and chuckled as they exchanged a playful banter while she undressed.

After Bella finished changing, they both exited the locker room and Alice led them to the boys' weight room where Emmett, Jasper, and Edward were. After seeing a few dazed eyes lecherously staring their way, Bella then made it a purpose to glare at whoever dared to stare at _her _Alice. Well, no one obviously paid any attention to her because they continued to receive lustful glances anyway. When Bella finally saw the boys, she let out a sigh before she sat down on one of the bench near Emmett.

"Why do we always attract all the pervy guys?" Bella questioned nobody in particular. Four pairs of topaz eyes landed on the girl sitting on the bench, but Alice studied Bella more closely.

"Well, what kind of _guy_ would you like to attract?" Alice's question threw everyone off, including Bella. The males didn't know what to say, but Emmett was on the brink of wanting to laugh out loud at Alice's jealousy as she asked the question.

"_Um_…" Bella swallowed as she noticed Alice's intense gaze on her. "_Well…_" Bella trailed off again as Jasper, Edward, and Emmett tried really hard not to laugh at the young girl. "_You see_…" the poor thing went on.

Emmett began to guffaw as Bella struggled to find the right words, and no later Edward and Jasper joined in with him as well as they roared out in laughter. The other males in the room abruptly stopped what they were doing and looked over to the five of the most attractive people they've ever seen, wondering what was so funny. Bella looked away in embarrassment, yet only to have Alice step into her view once again.

"_I understand_." Alice suddenly said as she pulled Bella into a hug, taking the young girl by surprise. Bella then relaxed and rested the side of her face against Alice's torso while she wrapped her arms around Alice's thighs. Alice looked down at the girl as she ran a hand through her brown tresses, wondering if fate would be so cruel to make her watch Bella be happy with someone else. Alice let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes, reminiscing the times where her Bella didn't understand what romance was. Yet, she'd been waiting for this moment for so long, and now Alice felt like she really dreaded it.

"_What if she doesn't feel the same way?"_ both girls thought quietly to themselves, not knowing that they were in fact riding the same brain wavelength.

They would certainly find out in due time.

* * *

**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Just felt like getting a simple chapter out. I thought it was somewhat fun writing this one. Hope you all enjoy the update! Annnnnnd have a nice day! :)**

* * *

_**Continued…**_

"_Holy crap, Alice! How on Earth did you lifted this thing earlier?_" Bella panted heavily as she lowered the barbell back to the lower part of her chest. Bella was lying supine on the bench with her back arched, hips extended, and her feet positioned flatly on the floor as she lifted. Slowly breathing out, she pressed the bar upward one more time until her arms were extended before she mounted the barbell back onto the rack. Letting out a much-needed breath, Bella closed her eyes while countless drops of sweat dripped from her forehead and hit the floor of the weight room.

Alice looked down at her mate in adoration, admiring the way Bella's body was perfectly sculpted from all of the hard workouts and training sessions at home. Her taut muscles was currently glistening with the amount of sweat that she was producing, and Alice's eyes slowly diverted from Bella's features to the pulse point on her neck as Alice quickly got caught up with the sound of the human's fast beating heart. Alice's gaze intensify as she zoomed in on the fast rhythmical throbbing of Bella's arteries, eyeing each successive throb with a hunger she didn't even know was there to begin with

"_Okay!_ Show's over." Edward cut in as he quickly ushered Alice out of the weight room, leaving Bella behind with Jasper and Emmett. Alice didn't realize that she was being pushed out of the room until she was a good distance away from Bella's scent. Alice jerked her head in the direction that Bella was in, and was about to return to her mate but she suddenly felt herself held back by a firm grip on her forearm.

"You can't go back there yet, Alice. You need to get a hold of yourself. I _saw_…what you wanted to do to her in there. Remember, she's only _fifteen_." Edward warned Alice before she sank back into his arms. Alice immediately felt remorseful for her actions from earlier, not even realizing that she was having inappropriate thoughts about her human mate.

_I can't help it, Edward. For some reason, I just picture fire when I think of her skin, and then I forget about everything else. She's just so…mesmerizing. _

"I know she can be at times." Edward smiled as he held his dearest family member against his chest. "But you need to remember to control yourself nonetheless. You'll scare her away." Edward added before he felt Alice pull away from his embrace.

"_I know_." Alice sighed as she closed her eyes and tried to imagine more happy and innocent thoughts of her and Bella together, not caring that Edward can see them. Edward grinned happily at the small glimpses of the two of them together, and looked back over to where Emmett and Jasper were standing protectively near Bella as she went on with another set of the bench press. Edward nodded their way and the two vampires relaxed from their rigid stances. Emmett saluted back whereas Jasper just threw him a tightlipped grin.

Edward returned his attention to Alice, only to see that she was staring in the direction that he had withdrew from earlier. It didn't take a lot for him to discern the longing in her eyes. He sighed from the sudden glum mood after how exhilarated they were before when they had watched Bella try to bench the same amount of weight that Alice had.

"Shall we pack up and leave?" Edward suggested. He saw Alice nod slightly before she began heading in the way towards the women's locker room. Edward then walked back into the weight room, finding Emmett poking at Bella once more.

"Hey Bella?" Edward said to get her attention. That did the trick and she turned away from Emmett and looked at him in question.

"Yeah?" she simply asked.

"Alice is in the women's locker room if you want to go ahead and join her. We're going to head out after you two…change." Edward nodded awkwardly before looking away. Bella gave Edward an odd look before picking up the towel and throwing it over her left shoulder. After blinking a few times, she finally let whatever it was with Edward go and started to head towards the locker room.

Once there, she found the locker room empty except for the bag and her clothes laid out on the bench seat. Bella simply shrugged it off, not bothering to look for Alice because she wanted to change into her street clothes as fast as she possibly can before Alice comes back. Just as she finished pulling over her long sleeve cotton shirt, Alice walked in and smiled at Bella as she went over and helped put away the clothes into the duffel bag.

"All ready to go?" Alice simply asked. Bella nodded and braided her to the side as they walked out of the locker room. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett were standing right outside and Jasper, being the gentleman that he was, took the bag from Alice and slung it over his left shoulder.

"Where to now, ladies?" Jasper asked as they began to walk out of the gym. Alice let out a small sigh, not knowing what Bella wanted to do but before she could fall into complete disappointment, her eyes began to glaze over.

"_Home sweet home." Bella breathed out as she finished tying the end of her braid to keep it in place. Alice looked over to her mate and saw the loose braid that Bella just did herself and smiled. It wasn't so long ago that Alice had been braiding those same brown tresses. She took in the girl's features and wonder where all those times have gone. _

_Bella was just so pretty to look at sometimes._

"Let's go home." Alice said as she snapped out of her vision. She looked over at Bella as the girl was just about to finish tying her hair. Bella looked up in surprise and her eyes sparkled in relief, knowing that they could go home and rest after such a vigorous workout. Alice smiled her way and took her hand as they walked out into the parking lot.

Bella swallowed and tried her best not to tremble under Alice's touch, but the sudden increase of her heart rate was almost as good as a dead giveaway of her reaction to the vampire. Alice glanced over to Bella, wondering why the girl was suddenly on edge and she stopped mid-walk to examine if the girl was all right.

"Bella, are you okay?" Alice asked with concern as she scanned the girl from head to toe. This in turn only caused Bella to feel more self-conscious and aware of her reactions, and she shied away from Alice's touch as Alice tried to find the source of Bella's fit.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little…_excited_ to go home. _So tired_." Bella added quickly, hoping that Alice would believe her.

"If you say so." Alice gave Bella an odd look before turning to head in the direction of her car. Bella then sighed with relief and followed Alice to the car.

_Oh, if only Alice knew._

* * *

**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight.**


	21. Chapter 21

_**One year later…**_

Everyone was gathered around in the living room, looking back and forth at one another wondering why they were suddenly summoned there by their darling little human. It was only sensible to stare at Edward for answer, but even he shrugged, whispering at vampire speed that Bella had blocked her mind and so he couldn't read her. Alice tried to look into the future as well, but saw almost nothing but trivial decision making by her human mate. Bella was getting really good at controlling her cognitive abilities these days, and it was a wonder to them how a child her age could acquire such self-control on her own. Carlisle smiled as Bella stood in front of them, switching her weight back and forth on her two feet. She was obviously nervous about what she was about to tell her family. Esme also beamed encouragingly at her child, not particularly worry about anything that the child could spring onto them, because she felt like they've already gone through the worst of surprises.

"I have an announcement to make." Bella said as she simultaneously clapped her hands together. Alice winced in response, and her shoulders were tensed with worry and excitement at whatever surprise Bella had in store for them. Alice could only hope that it was a nice announcement. The last time Bella had done something like this, the little girl was _only_ seven and wanted to go skydiving. Needless to say, everyone but Emmett had said no, and it took a lot of convincing to tell their little human girl that it wasn't a suitable sport for someone her size and age back then. Plus, it wasn't entirely safe for her little human mate either.

"I've spoken to Carlisle about this, and it's been decided that I will be attending Forks High School when we move back to my birthplace next year." Bella stated loud and clear for everyone to hear. Carlisle and Esme's smiles widened and Carlisle wrapped his arm around Esme's shoulder as she leaned into his side embrace in the loveseat.

"_What! Bella! No, you can't be serious._" Alice stood up abruptly as she declared her stance on Bella's decision. Bella frowned at the person who she thought would support her no matter the choices she made.

"I'm _very _serious." Bella said in response before turning to face the rest of her family. "I need this, guys. But I can't do it without you. _All of you_." Bella said as she met everyone's eyes. The room was utterly silent for several minutes before Emmett finally spoke up.

"When did _you_ get to choose where we'd move to next? It was supposed to be _my_ turn." Emmett cracked a smile to let Bella know that he was only joking.

"Since I've _finally_ figured out what you really are." Bella said as she crossed her arms, exuding an unpronounceable amount of confidence.

"You're bluffing." Emmett scoffed before he went on, "That's getting pretty old now, Bella Bear."

"I'll have you know that Carlisle can confirm it." Bella said without a doubt as she turned to glance at Carlisle. The oldest member of the family merely nodded his head and smiled as everyone gasped at the realization.

"_How long?_" Alice asked in disbelief. She turned to look at Carlisle and saw him sending her an apologetic look. Alice returned her gaze back to Bella, just in time to see her uncrossing her arms and breathed out a sigh.

"A while." Bella answered while the family tried to process the information.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Edward asked, feeling a bit sad that she didn't go to him first about it. He _was_ the one that she usually confided in with things that were troubling her in any way.

"_Why do I have to tell you anything?_ It doesn't change the way I feel about all of you. You're still my _family_." Bella's eyes softened as she said this. Esme's eyes glistened with tears that threatened to fall, and Bella walked over and sat down next to the woman she's always seen as her own mother.

"I've always known deep inside that I'm not like _you_." Bella said as she lifted up a hand to caress the side of Esme's face. "But after the initial contact with Jack…I really couldn't forget the feeling of his warm-blooded skin. I began to pay attention to small details..." Bella brushed the back of her hand against Esme's cheek as the vampire closed her eyes to revel in the warmth emanating from Bella's hand. "_Your inability to shed even a single tear_." Bella carefully took her hand away and she stood up as she walked over to Emmett, treading lightly on her two feet before she threw an uppercut hook. Before her fist could connect with the underpart of his chin, Emmett had already swiftly reached out and held her small fist with his big hand. "_Your incredible speed_." Bella quickly retreated from the vampire and then reached for the flower vase in the middle of the coffee table. She faked hurling it at Jasper before she smartly launched it at Emmett. The burly vampire was about to laugh at Jasper before he saw the vase coming too late and he raised one arm up to block his face. The glass vessel shattered into pieces as it came into contact with his arm, flying everywhere as Bella turned too late to dodge the bits of glass coming her way. Luckily, Alice saw and swooped in just in time to cover her human mate, growling protectively as she did so. "_Your hardened exterior_." Bella whispered, knowing full well that they all could hear her loud and clear. Bella looked up to stare into a pair of concerned topaz eyes as she rested in Alice's arms, and reached up to stroke her face. "_Your pale skin_." Bella said softly as she let out a small sigh. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them up again and seeing Alice's darkened eyes go back to their soft honey color. "_The way your eyes changes color_." Bella bit down on her bottom lip as she decided to stand up but faltering slightly, almost tripping over herself but Alice caught her. "_Your incredible strength_." Bella breathed as she untangled herself from Alice's arms and taking her entire bodyweight off of Alice's small frame. Bella then looked over to Rosalie and smiled, "_Your inhuman beauty_." The beautiful blonde's eyes twinkled at the simple compliment coming from Bella. She turned around to face Edward and took a few steps towards him, kneeling down on her knees as she leaned in and let her pointing finger trace the barely visible light bruising beneath his eyes. "_How you never sleep_." Edward tilted his head to the left a bit as he watched Bella carefully. Bella then stood up and walked over to Jasper, and held her hand out for him to take. He stood up slowly and took her hand as she led him to the middle of the room with her. "_The coldness of your skin_." Bella spoke softly before she bended her knees and performed a quick curtsy.

"May I present to you ladies and gentlemen…_a vampire_." Bella broke out into a smile, leaving Jasper stunned in place before she happily skipped over to Carlisle and hopped onto his lap. He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head in response to the great show she put on, keeping everyone in utter shock. The three hundred and sixty years old vampire chuckled as his little girl had magically rendered them speechless, and he shook his head in amusement. She cuddled in-between Carlisle and Esme, and the three of them laughed as Jasper and Alice continued to stand in the middle of the room stuck in a daze with everyone else.

"What kind of_ child_ do you all take me for? Oh, don't you think I've forgotten about your heightened vampire senses, how you never _eat_, your extraordinary gifts, your distinguishable dialects, and the amount of knowledge you've acquired over the _years_ you've existed. Daddy kind-of filled me in on that last one." Bella giggled as she snuggled closer to her parents. Carlisle shook his head as the rest of the family stared disapprovingly at them, questioning why Carlisle had exposed them to their human child earlier than the date they've set for her to find out. But before any of them could open their mouths to speak up, Carlisle raised his hand up and began to explain.

"_This_ little girl here came trotting into my studies one day. When was it, dear? When you were about eleven, correct?" Bella nodded at Carlisle's question and he continued. "Yes, eleven. As soon as she crossed the threshold to get into my studies, she began to go off with all kinds of theories about the species we could _possibly_ be." Carlisle chuckled after he said this. "_Oh Lord_, she had these written notes, printed various kinds of myths and folktales, and all sorts of other anecdotes she could possibly find. It was one of my proudest days of being a father, might I add." Carlisle smiled proudly at Bella before he went on. "After an hour or so when I didn't confirm or reject her little theories, she finally decided to _blackmail_ me into telling her. Oh dear, the silly girl that she was to threaten a vampire nonetheless." Carlisle laughed.

"_Blackmail?_ How'd you manage that?" Rosalie asked curiously before Carlisle let out another hearty laugh.

"_Oh, it was a piece of cake_." Bella rolled her eyes as she said it. The rest of the family looked at her in spirit of inquiry and Bella finally decided to tell the story once she glanced at Carlisle and gotten permission to do so. "Daddy had been doing an experiment with the house microwave…and it blew up. So daddy went and tried to get it replaced, but I caught him installing it while you were all gone. You already know how mom can get about her kitchen appliances, so I threatened to tell her if he didn't reveal what you were to me." Bella shrugged by the end of it and looked over to see Esme with a dismal frown.

"In any case, I told her everything and she requested that I keep quiet about it until she decides to let everyone know that she's been _informed _about our true nature. I respected her judgment of course, and I suppose here we are now." Carlisle said plainly before he leaned over and kissed Esme to ask for her forgiveness about the kitchen microwave he blew up five years prior.

"You've known for _five years_ and you never thought to tell me this?" Alice asked again in disbelief.

"I wasn't ready." Bella said before she retreated further back into Esme and Carlisle's arms. Alice then began to pace back and forth in the middle of the room, and Jasper decided to go back to his seat, seeing that he was sort-of in her way while she was walking back and forth in a frenzy state. Everyone watched on amusedly as she muttered incoherent words at vampire speed that was even too fast for the others to catch on. Edward smiled and chuckled from time to time as he read her thoughts, and everyone looked over at him to find out what's going on.

"She's berating herself for not knowing. She's also thinking about…some private things I cannot share." Edward quickly glanced at Bella as he said the last part, and the family nodded knowingly whereas Bella was confused about what had Alice so troubled. After a few minutes, Bella decided to stand up and stop the pacing girl. Alice wasn't watching where she was going as she was too caught up in her own conversation with herself, and she unintentionally ran smack into Bella, causing the girl to fall to the ground. Alice's eyes widened in surprise before it turned into horror as she realized she just knocked over her mate.

"_Bella!_ Are you okay? Where are you hurt?" Alice asked frantically as she bent down and examined the girl, and the family came rushing over to see if any serious damage was done to her.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just…_ow_…my head." Bella said as she clutched the side of her head. Carlisle moved through Edward and Rosalie to get to her, and he examined her head to see if she was all right.

"She's alright. Just a little force of impact to her head." Carlisle said as he looked over her injury once again. "Alice, would you mind carrying Bella up to her room? I think she'll need to rest her head after that small collision." Carlisle advised before he stood up and motioned for everyone to spread out to give Alice and Bella some room. Alice nodded slightly and then looked down at her mate in concern before taking Bella into her arms and carrying her bridal style up the stairs. Once they've reached Bella's bedroom and Alice had gently set her human mate down onto her bed, Alice gazed at Bella in concern before the girl tapped the empty space beside her, gesturing for Alice to lie down with her.

"You aren't mad at me, are you?" Bella asked uncertainly as she stared at Alice's worried expression. Alice let out a sigh and then closed her eyes to relive the past thirty or so minutes, not liking the fact that she had _just_ found out that Bella had known they were vampires for _that _long.

"I wish you would've told me. I'd have – "

Bella placed a finger against Alice's cold lips that felt more like silk than anything, and she hushed the vampire as Alice tried to speak again.

"Acted differently. Treated me differently. Changed how you were. _Yeah_, I know." Bella said as she rolled her eyes. "I would've waited longer, maybe until I was eighteen when you all were prepared to tell me, but I couldn't put it off until then. I told you because I've always wanted to be able to go to high school like any other regular kid and get to know _my kind_. I've made my choice, Alice. I just wish you'd support me." Bella said with a hint of sorrow that Alice couldn't bear to hear.

"Are you sure this is what you want? You've already gotten a little taste of what it's like when we go out, and you certainly don't seem so charmed by them. Can you _really_ put up with a bunch of hormonal, insensitive, corrupted, immature humans all in one little stinking place?" Alice asked in detail to make her point. Bella just rolled her brown eyes at Alice's description of high school students, and then gently placed a hand onto Alice's cold cheek as she lied on the side of her head that wasn't throbbing with a little bit of pain.

"I know what I'm doing, Alice. I'm not a kid any more. Please stop treating me like one." Bella asked of her. The vampire sighed in defeat and scooted closer to Bella, wrapping one arm around Bella's waist to pull her closer, and the girl simply obliged.

"_I'll try_." Alice joked before Bella lightly smack her on her cold hard shoulder and they both laugh afterwards as Bella hissed in pain.

"I love you." Bella softly spoke as she gazes into Alice's eyes with a certain kind of warmth that the vampire couldn't really discern.

"I love you too." Alice whispered back as she stared lovingly at her mate.

Unbeknownst to the two girls who were wrapped up in their own world in the cocoon of Bella's bedroom, their family was still downstairs overhearing their private little conversation.

"Forks huh?" Edward asked as Carlisle nodded.

"You told Bella about her parents as well?" Jasper asked.

"Indeed. She took it rather calmly. I suppose being as gifted as she is allows her to be the mature and sensible young lady that we bear witness to now. And _then_." Carlisle quickly added the last part.

"Oh Carlisle, our little girl is growing up so fast." Esme said with joy as her eyes gleamed with delight.

"Yes, I know, my dear." Carlisle smiled as he planted another kiss on her lips.

"Don't you think you're forgiven for destroying my little microwave, Mister! Now that I recall back to that time, I can certainly see why it looked so brand new during the last month of our stay now." Esme chided the vampire beside her.

"I promise I'll make it up to you." Carlisle winked at his wife.

"_Ew!_ You two need to get a room!" Emmett said as he stood up and went over to turn on his gaming station. Rosalie rolled her eyes and picked up a magazine to occupy herself, seeing that her husband wasn't going to be keeping her company after all.

"What do you say about a sparring match huh?" Jasper suggested as he stood up.

"I gladly accept." Edward grinned as he followed Jasper out to the back of the house.

"Did you give Bella _the mate_ talk as well?" Rosalie asked as she looked over the Cosmopolitan magazine.

"Of course not. I'll leave that to Alice." Carlisle tried not to imagine what would've happened if he had slipped and told Bella about vampire's mate selection.

"Good." Rosalie gave a curt response before she returned her attention back to the magazine.

Esme and Carlisle chuckled as they watch all of their children scattered around the house finding something to do. They then stared at each other with knowing looks and Carlisle led Esme out of the house before they sped together into the forest and disappeared into their own worried-free world.

Sixteen-year-old Bella couldn't have chosen another perfect day to clue her family in on what she knew about them.

All of that constant worrying had completely gone to waste after all.

* * *

**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight.**


	22. Chapter 22

_**A few days later…**_

Bella's back was perched up against the wall as she sat in her favorite spot in the Cullen's home. With her nose buried deep in a book and her feet stretched out before her on the thin mattress, Bella was entirely too comfortable and completely immersed in another world to pay attention to the beautiful surroundings. Esme had taken it upon herself to build a nook by the window to create a cozy window seat for her youngest child in every house that move to. This house had a wonderful window seat that looked out into the forest, embellished with pillows, cushions, and soft throws, seeing that the child fell asleep in the place often. It was a divine sun-filled window on days with nicer weather, and the bay window that extended outward from the house's façade also added a charming character to both the interior and exterior of the home. Of course, it had also been Esme's intention to have the design complete the overall architecture and interior design style of their home when she built the cozy window seat with a wonderful view of the outside world.

Bella's focus was suddenly broken away from the alternate world when she felt a heavy sounding thud land onto the mattress beside her. Bella instantly looked up from the book and saw a pair of warm topaz eyes staring at her, realizing that she now had company.

"Can I help you?" Bella asked sweetly even though she wanted to just delve back into the novel she was currently reading.

"Well, you see, I was hoping you would come shopping with me." Alice responded with the same honeyed tone before she bit down on her bottom lip.

"Yeah…nice try." Bella's word trailed off as she stared at how sensual the small gesture was. "Now go away and leave me alone with Yeats." Bella said and tried to shoo Alice away with her one hand as her brown eyes returned to the print in her other hand. Alice picked up her slightly dropped jaw and gave Bella her best glare, but the girl remained unfazed by the vampire's threatening look as she continued reading.

"Come on, Bella! _Please?_ It'll be fun!" Alice switched over to pleading, knowing full well that Bella would give in sooner or later.

"_No_ to the power of _no_." Bella said determinedly without taking her eyes off of the novel, turning her face away from the vampire. Alice frowned and felt disappointed, not understanding why Bella wasn't falling for her charm like she usually does. Her topaz eyes immediately light up as she thought of another method, looking into the future to see if it would be okay to offer something like that before she asked.

"How about…if I took you flying?" Alice suggested. That certainly got Bella's attention as she slowly looked up over the top of the book, catching Alice's honey-colored eyes.

"Flying?" Bella questioned. Alice stood up from the small mattress and walked over to stand next to Bella's side. Alice leaned her side against the wall and then reached out and tucked a stray hair behind Bella's ear before smiling down at her human mate.

"_Yes, flying_." Alice said and then she leaned down and kissed Bella's forehead and pulled back.

"How?" Bella asked curiously, completely forgetting about the book in her hand.

"Well, you'll have to climb onto my back and then…" Alice made a gesture with her hand swooping down low before it flew into the air between them.

"_Really?_ Show me!" Bella said excitedly as she placed the book down on her left side and turned her body to face Alice.

"_Uh uh_, not until you agree to go shopping with me." Alice waved her pointing finger back and forth teasingly. Bella frowned, seeing that she had yet been tricked into going shopping with Alice _again_. Bella took a minute to think carefully about her decision. Knowing Alice, they weren't going to be coming home until half the day was already gone.

"Fine, _but_ I also get to spend a third of your allowance this month on whatever I want while we're out shopping." Bella renegotiated the terms. Alice's eyes widened in surprise at Bella's bargaining conditions and it didn't take her long to decide to agree. She had a side bank account that could keep up with her shopping spree anyway.

"You got yourself a deal, my precious human." Alice said as she held out her hand for Bella to shake on it. Bella looked at Alice's hand skeptically, wondering how the vampire could say yes so quickly to giving up fifteen grand without a fit, but she simply shrugged after a few seconds and took Alice's cold hand.

"You're sure?" Bella asked anyway even though they've already shaken on it, and Alice kept a firm hold onto Bella's hand.

"Never been more sure. Make sure you get yourself something nice for once, alright?" Alice teased as she let go of Bella's soft hand. Bella rolled her eyes at the vampire and got up, stretching out her arms and legs from sitting for too long.

"How about you transfer that $15,000 into my bank account while I go change?" Bella said cheekily as left the room without waiting for Alice's response. Alice's eyes followed Bella's figure as she walked down the hallway before she turned to climb up the spiral stairs to get to her bedroom.

"_Sassy_." Alice breathed out before she bit down on her bottom lip to contain herself from following after the beautiful creature that just ascended the stairs.

_**To be Continued...**_

* * *

**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	23. Chapter 23

**__****Continued…**

"I don't understand. Why do you even _need_ me here? Edward and Jazz can keep you company just fine." Bella whined as she followed behind Alice, who was eyeing a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti ballet flats. Alice picked it up and studied it in fascination, looking fixedly at the studded leather metal-detail low-heeled shoe.

"_Because_." Alice simply said before she put down the ballet flat and walked over to another pair of shoes that had caught her eyes. Bella let out a frustrated sigh and picked up the Giuseppe Zanotti ballet flats, walking over to the closest salesperson she sees and asks them for a pair in size seven and have it wrapped up for her before handing over her credit card. She returned to Alice's side after a few minutes and sees that Alice had now moved onto platform pumps.

"You going to finish that open-ended sentence now?" Bella asked. She saw the saleswoman approaching her from her peripheral vision, and made a hand gesture for the woman not to approach them. Luckily for her, the lady got the message and retreated back to the desk station at the back of the store. Alice turned around and looked Bella in the eye, and then she took Bella hands into hers, caressing the soft warm skin on the back of Bella's hands with her two thumbs.

"I always want you with me, Bella." Alice smiled before she leaned in and hugged Bella, taking the sixteen-year-old girl by surprise. After snapping out of her confusion, she brought her hands up and slowly patted Alice's back in return. Even though Alice was ice cold against her own warm skin, Bella couldn't help but feel a warmth deep within her seeping out and overwhelming her completely. Noticing those familiar tingles again, Bella quickly jumped out of the embrace, surprising Alice, and then scratching the back of her head as she looked elsewhere.

"Um, yeah, okay." Bella managed before Alice giggled at how quickly Bella could go back to her shy and reserve self.

"I think I'm done here." Alice clapped her hands together and twirled around as she declared their exit.

"Can you wait for me at the entrance? I just remembered I forgot something back there." Bella left before Alice could ask her what was going on.

Bella walked briskly towards the desk in the back and smiled politely as she saw the lady already holding a bag and her credit card. Bella looked down at her nametag and saw that the woman's name was Scarlett.

"Here you go, Miss Cullen. May I get your signature please?" Scarlett asked. Bella quickly nodded and then signed the receipt for the $595 designer ballet flats before she was given a copy of her own.

"Thank you so much, Scarlett. Sorry about, you know, over there. I wanted to surprise her." Bella smiled genuinely.

"You're very welcome. You have a good day now, Miss Cullen." Scarlett bowed slightly, before Bella took off with the purchase.

As soon as Bella made her way out of the store, she was instantly greeted by three pairs of curious topaz eyes. Bella then focused on one set of eyes in particular and walked straight to them.

_I got this for Alice, but I need you to play along and pretend it's not. _

Edward nodded as he watched Bella walked towards him with a crafty smile on her face. Alice's happy expression faltered as she saw her mate not walking towards her and greeting her first. She then watched on as Bella handed Edward a bag and her eyebrows quirked up in curiosity as to what was in it.

"Can you hold this for me?" Bella asked sweetly and Edward simply smiled and took the bag away from her. Bella latched onto his arm and began walking away from the store as she dragged him along. Alice looked at them in confusion, wondering what on earth was going on. It was_ she_ who Bella always held onto while they went shopping. _Not Edward_. Alice instinctively growl, thoughts clouding her mind of ways Edward could steal away her mate. Jasper felt Alice's jealousy and protectiveness and immediately grabbed her arm before she could lunge at Edward's walking form.

"_Alice!_" Jasper warned quietly and Alice shut her eyes closed to stop her overwhelming emotions.

"She's _my _mate." Alice said through gritted teeth and opened her eyes to give Jasper a sharp look of fury. Jasper let out a heavy sigh and teasingly rolled his eyes at her.

"No one's going to steal your mate, Alice. How many times do we have to tell you that? _We're your family_." Jasper repeated himself for the umpteenth time in the past sixteen years whenever Alice's involuntary reflex kicked in.

"_I just_…" Alice broke down and her shoulders dropped as she watched the two walked further away as they trailed slowly behind.

"_I love her_." Alice breathed out in pain. Jasper's dead heart was suddenly filled with love he's known and experienced vicariously through every one of his family who had a mate. But somehow with Alice, the love that she had for Bella was always laced with an uncharacteristic ache and despair like none he's ever felt before. It made his undead existence filled with hopelessness and desperation, watching one of the people he loved and held dearest to his dead heart constantly feel such agony and heartbreak.

"How do you do it? How do you go through this every day and just…let things be?" Jasper's voice fell to a whisper when Alice's heartache affected him and began to feel so hard to endure. He immediately sent over a strong wave of calmness to Alice and the vampire beside him relaxed instantly with a sudden dazed look in her eyes.

"_Because I love her_. Because my love for her surpasses my own wants and needs." Alice smiled hopelessly. Jasper gazed at Alice in adoration and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as he quickened the pace so that she would follow and match his strides. It didn't take them long until they had caught up with Edward and Bella, unintentionally overhearing the two's conversation with their heightened senses.

"You should find yourself a woman, you broody old man." Bella laughed as Edward looked over and playfully glared at her.

"_Excuse you_. Who are you calling old, child? I'm _barely _seventeen, _and_ I have an _eternity_ to find a mate in case you've forgotten that I'm an immortal." Edward grinned cheekily at the human. Bella wore a pensive look for one moment before she spoke again.

"_Mate?_ How does that work for you all?" Bella asked curiously. Edward's face scrunched up as he wondered if he should be answering her question at all.

_Go ahead. You can tell her._

Edward's eyes widened a little as Alice's thought appeared out of almost nowhere. He remembered that Alice and Jasper were only trailing about fifteen feet away behind them just seconds ago, having a hushed conversation of some sort and he respectfully tried to block out their thoughts in his mind to give them some privacy. His brows furrowed and ponder about how he should explain it to Bella now, seeing that he's been granted permission by the one and only, Alice.

"Well," Edward began as he tried to gather his thoughts. "For starters, _vampires_ behave not much differently as humans do when they're involved with another person. We experience romance _somewhat_ in the same way that your kind does. During the initial stages of a romantic relationship, there's a lot of emphasis on emotions rather than physical intimacy. Romantic love in the early stages is often characterized by uncertainty, alongside with emotional anxiety that one's love may not be returned. When the relationship is finally _established_, romantic love would then be defined as _freeing_ and it would optimize the level of intimacy to the…_natural_ state of the relationship. Then finally, given enough time, although this varies with each relationship, a strong and close romance and love will have developed, and the two will finally consummate through marriage or follow some sort of custom that's akin to couples joining in matrimony. _Are you following what I'm saying so far?_" Edward asked after his lengthy explanation. Bella bit down on her lip and nodded.

"You see, vampires don't entirely follow those behavioral patterns. Well, we _are_ in the sense that we can date like humans do. It's just…humans can divorce if they're not happy in a marriage. We…_vampires_ cannot once we bind ourselves to someone in that way." Edward explained. Bella was confused about what he meant by that, and she scratched the back of her head while racking her brain for clarity, an old habit that's hard to get rid of.

"So…you can date but once you marry, you're bonded to that person _forever_?" Bella asked. Edward's face scrunched up into a dissatisfied expression and Bella gave him an apologetic look in return. "Sorry, kind-of got lost towards the end." Edward smiled at her and reached behind to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment as well.

"No, it's my fault. Here, let me rephrase that." Edward said as he tried to recollect his thoughts once more. "We can wander the earth for years, decades, centuries, or even a millennium, having frivolous affairs here and there _or_ choose to be partnerless,_ but_ we all have _one true mate _somewhere out there that's meant for us. As humans would say, they are _the one_ for us. _For eternity_." Edward made clear.

"But how do you know if they're the one? Doesn't that make every relationship you have before you come across that person irrelevant and inconsequential?" Bella inquired.

"It's different for everyone. Not all vampires are aware of this fixed pattern of _mate selection_ amongst our kind if they haven't lived with or met other vampires who've found their mates. So these oblivious immortals could go on with their existence not knowing that they have a mate until they actually meet them. Getting back to your first question though, vampires…._know_ immediately once they've met their mate. There's this…instinctive _pull _that we feel once we lay our eyes upon them. As soon as we recognize who they are, we naturally bind ourselves to them at our own free will because it's an innate behavior pattern built within us when we find our mate. I can't quite answer your second question, considering I've never been in a relationship. But if you do want one, I would dare to go ahead and say that any relationship that happens before meeting one's mate would be deemed…unimportant and no longer worth considering." Edward shrugged and made a funny-looking face.

"But how can you understand something you've never had?" Bella asked seriously.

"Well, I _did_ choose to be alone. So did Alice and Jasper, seeing that the three of us are the only ones in the family unattached. We like to think of ourselves as _hopeless romantics_, waiting for our one true love and saving ourselves for only them when the time comes." Edward smiled and rolled his eyes. "There aren't many vampires that are like us, Bella. Vampires revel in the feeling of partnership _and_ they feed off of human blood. Those are the two major feats of being our kind, but we resist both. By choosing companionship and sticking with our vegetarian diet, we deny ourselves _completely _of many essential pleasures that ties into being _what_ we are. That's _a lot_ to sacrifice for our kind, but yet we do it anyway because we don't want to feel like monsters. The only thing we have going for ourselves for the rest of our existence is finding our mate, and until then, we can only settle for rejoicing in the hope that we'll come across them someday with any luck."

"_Wow_." Bella whispered. She couldn't for the life of her understand how they did it. Most of them were either almost a century old or were barely more than a hundred years old, except for Carlisle of course. Bella couldn't imagine what it'd be like to wait around a hundred years to find her one true mate, and then a thought suddenly occurred to her. Alice was alone, and waiting for her mate as well. Bella felt a part of her slip away as it dawned on her that she would never be able to tell Alice the way she felt about her, making Bella feel truly more afraid than ever of the way she felt for Alice.

"Yeah. _True love waits_, right?" Edward casted a cheeky grin over to Bella.

"You mean, you've _never_…you know…?" Bella expected Edward to understand what she was trying to say, and he did.

Alice couldn't help but let out a small giggle from behind them. Both Bella and Edward turned around to look for the source, and found Alice smiling playfully at them.

"Why Bella, I would've never expected you to have such _impure_ thoughts!" Alice clasped a hand over her opened mouth to tease the girl. Bella blushed furiously and glared at Edward, silemtly scolding him for not warning her that Jasper and Alice were listening in on their conversation.

"Don't mind her. She's just as _virginal _as I am." Edward smirked when Alice's smile falter. Bella looked at Jasper in amusement, tilting her head to the side and wonder if he was as well. Jasper shook his head and smiled, and Bella slowly nodded in response.

"Enough of this _purity _conversation. What did you spend my money on at that shoe store?" Alice asked excitedly. Bella rolled her eyes at the vampire and then began to walk away from her.

"Oh come on, Bella! Did you finally get yourself a pair of platform pumps? Oh! Or was it that wedge pump I saw you briefly glancing at earlier?" Alice continued animatedly with the questions.

"Fine, I'll tell you." Bella stopped walking and turned to face Alice. "But only _after_ you follow through with that flying session you promised me." Bella coyly winked at the vampire before she snapped her fingers in the air. "Come on boys, we're going furniture shopping!" The human walked on, leaving the three vampires behind to stare at one another.

"What a _fine_ lady she's grown to be." Edward said jokingly, causing Jasper to chuckle beside him whereas Alice just glanced back at the beautiful human confidently walk away towards the furniture store.

"_Fine _doesn't even _begin_ to illustrate how beautiful she's really become." Alice countered as her eyes followed after her human mate.

_It's a complete understatement_, Alice thought as her feet began to move towards the source of the pull she felt.

* * *

"So how are we going to do this?" Bella placed both hands on each side of her hips as they stood just outside of the forest in their backyard.

"You're going to climb onto my back and hold on tight. That's all you have to do." Alice smiled as she bent over slightly and gestured with her hand for Bella to climb onto her back. Bella was a little hesitant to walk over and climb onto Alice's small form, but after a few seconds, she simply shrugged and got on. "Okay, remember to hold on tight." Alice reminded her. Bella nodded into Alice's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around her neck tightly and her legs tightened around Alice's small waist.

"Oh, and you might want to close your eyes at first." Alice added before she danced into a steady run. Bella shut her eyes closed just in time and felt the strong current of air blowing against the side of her face as she buried part of it into Alice's neck. The loveliest fragrance filled her nostrils and Bella breathed in deeply while she relished in the most beautiful scent she's ever smelt in her life. Alice swiftly glanced back and smile, knowing_ exactly_ what Bella was doing since she too had many times done it while Bella grew up.

Bella felt like she was as airy as clouds were, trying to wrap her mind around the feathery feeling she felt while she was attached to Alice. Slowly, Bella pulled her face away from Alice's neck and opened her eyes, gasping as she saw brown and green blurs instead of a clear visual of the forest like she had imagined beforehand.

"_Whoa!_" Bella breathed as the full effect of being in flight tore down on her. Alice smiled triumphantly, feeling like she was on a high herself because she had dreamt of this day for so long and couldn't believe that her dream was finally turning into reality. Running was one of her best-loved activities, and Alice couldn't imagine not sharing this side of her world with Bella.

"How are you feeling back there?" Alice said loud enough for her human mate to hear as she kept a steady pace comfortable enough for her and the human on her back.

"_Amazing!_" Bella shouted back, causing Alice to chuckle as she quickly dodged a short branch that was slightly in their way. They weren't too far away from where Alice wanted to stop, and the vampire began to gradually slow down as they got nearer. Bella relaxed a bit more when she finally caught small short glimpses of their surroundings as Alice ran through the forest. It was as quiet as ever, except for the wind that was sweeping good-naturedly by them.

Alice slowly came to a stop as they reached the steep rock face at the edge of the sea. The view from the cliffs was utterly breathtaking this evening, and Bella slowly but surely slid off of Alice's back to stand beside her as they watched the sun beginning to set over the ocean. There was a cloud layer above the clear horizon, and the sun appeared behind the cloud layer, creating a type of sunrise before quickly setting again. Bella turned her body and glanced over to Alice, gasping as she saw the vampire's skin glow ethereally when the sunlight hit her face.

"_Alice… You're_…" Bella's voice fell to a whisper as she reached up and caress Alice's beautiful face. Bella couldn't help but to think that it was too _perfect_ to exist in the world that they lived in.

"_I know_." Alice spoke softly before she closed her eyes and leaned into Bella's touch.

"_So beautiful_…" Bella's voice cracked as tears were filled to its brim in her eyes. She took a few step closer, standing in front of Alice, and began to slowly trace her vampire's perfect features. Alice felt the pull drawing her towards the edge and she couldn't help but let herself bask in the warmth of Bella's touch, placing her hand over Bella's as she leaned further into the girl's caress.

"Do you still love me?" Alice asked before she slowly opened her eyes. "Even if this is how I look like in the sunlight?" Alice's eyes began to glisten, wanting so badly to cry.

Tears fell down Bella's face as she looked deep into Alice's topaz eyes, and she murmured the only words she knew to say at that very moment.

"_I do." _Bella breathed before Alice pulled Bella into her arms as she felt that all was finally right in the world.

Twilight fell and the sun had set, but still the two remained in each other's arms, neither wanting to let go. It was a moment of truth. A time, in which, they needed for themselves. It was a world closed off and reserved for only two people who were secretly in love with one another. So in silence, they took the time to finally accept the way they really felt.

And somewhere between sunset and dusk, they fell hopelessly in love all over again.

_It was the kind of love that would last forever._

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**A/N: Falling in love at twilight?! How sappier could this get? ;P ****Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. :)**

**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight.**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I apologize for the unusual late update. I've been preoccupied with school and whatnot. I do hope you enjoy this update. It was frustrating to write. Have a good day all! :)**

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_**A few weeks later…**_

"Hey Al, I was wondering if – " Bella's words were lost on her as she entered Alice's room to find the vampire bending over and drying her grown out hair. Alice abruptly threw her head back and stood up straight, wondering what it was that Bella needed.

"_Yeah?_" Alice asked, unconcerned with the fact that she was only covered in a small towel at the moment. She lifted up the other small towel in her right hand and began drying the side of head, looking pointedly at Bella as she waited for an answer.

The sixteen-year-old then stared fixedly at the ground, blushing a brilliant red as she tried to get rid of the mental image of Alice's towel-clad body in her mind. It really didn't help that Alice was still standing there, making no move to put on some clothes either. Alice couldn't help but laugh softly, finding how amusing it was that Bella had grown up to become so bashful around her unclothed body.

"My eyes are up here, Bella." Alice giggled as she danced over to her human mate. Bella still refused to let her eyes wander upward, and when Alice had enough of it after standing in front of Bella for half a minute, she held Bella's chin with her cold slender fingers and tried to get Bella to look at her. As soon as they were at eye-level, Alice felt herself completely melt as she stared into Bella's warm brown orbs.

"You were saying?" Alice gently pressed for Bella to continue. Bella bit down on her bottom lip, trying not to let the whimper she held in escape her. Bella flushed even further when Alice suddenly brought her two hands up to gently hold Bella's shoulders and stepping closer as she looked into Bella's eyes with concern.

"_What's wrong?_" Alice softly spoke, panicking about what's gotten Bella wound up so suddenly.

Before either of them could process what happened, Bella ran straight out of Alice's room, leaving the vampire to stand by herself, not completely understanding what had just happened. Alice tilted her head to the side, her perfect face scrunching up into that of confusion before she quickly dressed herself and followed Bella's scent into the family's training room.

Alice watched as Bella breathe frustratingly as she tried to wrap her trained hands. Alice leaned against the doorframe, not sure if she should interrupt the girl from whatever inner turmoil Bella was currently experiencing. Without being given any warning, Alice fell into a vision and she braced herself for the mental images that started flashing right before eyes.

"_Please, leave me alone." Bella begged and stepped back when Alice inched closer to the girl and began reaching for her hand. Hurt flashed through Alice's eyes and it penetrated her dead heart after hearing her mate telling her to leave her be. Usually she could contain the pain she felt, but Alice couldn't hide it away now, not when it hurt as much as it did. _

"_I'm sorry, Alice… Just…please…" Bella pleaded desperately even though she saw how much she's hurt her Alice. _

_Alice opened her mouth to say something, but she decided against it, tears beginning to form and threatening to fall from her eyes. Alice turned around after one last pained look at Bella, and she walked out of the room with her eyes closed, trying to swallow the pain she felt deep within as she threw her hand over where her dead heart was and clutched at her chest. She stopped just before she got to the door and opened her eyes, throwing a final glance at Bella over her shoulder and saw the girl already bursting blows at the punching bag as sweat began to glisten upon her forehead. Alice winced slightly at the sight, not sure who Bella was imagining as she battered away at the heavy bag as it swayed slightly from the repeated blows. _

Alice snapped out of her vision and horror struck her, forcing the vampire to let out a breath of disbelief. Bella had _never_ said such hurtful words to her before, not even when the sixteen-year-old girl was extremely frustrated by the vampire. Something was terribly wrong and Bella was burying it quite deep inside so far as Alice could tell. Thinking more sensibly of the situation after her vision, Alice reluctantly decided to back off and step away from the training room. Not knowing where else to go, Alice made a spontaneous decision to go running.

Meanwhile, in the training room, Bella continued to control her breathing, not knowing what had come over her. As much as she had tried to tell herself that she accepted the way she felt about Alice, a part of her didn't allow her to do so completely. Bella felt horror-stricken at the things she wanted to do to her best friend as her thoughts raced about Alice when the vampire had stepped past Bella's comfort zone. She couldn't for the life of her understand how she had let her feelings develop to the point of longing after the vampire's touch, wanting to drown herself in the sea of Alice's scent when the vampire was too close to touch. It frustrated Bella how she knew how delusional she was for feeling the way she did and not being able to act upon her feelings.

_It feels so wrong_… Bella wanted to cry as darkness threatened to consume her entirely. After she got the gloves on with much more effort than usual, she began to pound the heavy punching bag that equaled that of her body weight.

_But at the same time –_

Before she could finish her thought, Bella threw two quick jabs with her left fist before she went in for a knockout punch with her right. She panted as she tried to regain control of her breathing, holding the punching bag with her two gloved hands to stop it from swaying. It was time to get a heavier bag.

"_It feels so right._" Bella breathed out as she closed her eyes, still panting as she did so.

She backed away from the bag, getting back into her original stance before pummeling the punching bag again. After a full two-minute burst, she relaxed her shoulders before falling effortlessly to the ground as sweat drenched her t-shirt.

_Why her of all people? _Bella sighed with frustrations before getting back up and positioning herself for another round.

Unbeknownst to Bella, it was going to be a long day for Alice as well.

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**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Thanks for reading! **

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**__****Later that day…**

Bella sighed as she leaned her temple against the window, staring out into the evening and wondering what Alice was doing out in the forest. Bella had been trying to get comfortable and read at the window seat for the past hour in vain. She was having a hard time getting Alice's topaz eyes out of her mind, especially not when the flash of hurt kept replaying like a broken record inside her head.

Rain poured outside with intensity like never before, drowning out all other noises around her. It was funny how the weather was mirroring her exact emotion. Bella was hoping that Alice had somehow found shelter and had not gotten drenched to her bones. It was Bella's carelessness after all that had caused the vampire to run away. Bella felt incredibly guilty about the way she had disregarded Alice's feelings, but with how her frustrations had overpowered every other emotions, Bella almost didn't have a choice but to push the other girl away. Bella wanted to apologize once she was done taking out her frustrations on the punching bag, but after a quick search around the house, she found that Alice had left her a note saying she went for a run. At least the vampire had left a note. Bella sighed as she remembered how unfeeling the words had felt as she read them.

_Out for a run. Will be back in a few hours. - A _

No hearts. No smiley faces. No terms of endearment. It was so unlike Alice to write such an unemotional note. Bella sighed for the umpteenth time as the same words and topaz eyes continually play back in her mind, still looking out into the forest from her vantage point to see if Alice had come back. Yet, all she saw was the rain pouring down heavily and how it almost blurred the views of her far-reaching backyard.

"Even the sky's crying for me." Bella sighed again before she closed her eyes. It's been a few hours, yet Alice wasn't back already. It worried Bella more than she could admit aloud, but everyone in the family was aware of what was going on. They heard the small whisper that escaped from their dearest human, their dead hearts breaking when they sympathized with the girl's emotion.

Edward and Jasper had tried to read Bella over the last few weeks, trying to find out what has been bothering her, but the girl had put up her walls, not allowing the two vampires to read or feel her emotions. As Bella aged, her cognitive abilities had outstretched the family's imagination of how much control she had over them. It was almost like she had the ability of a _shield_, but they couldn't accept that she was simply that because shields were incredibly rare even in the vampire world. Yet how was it that a sixteen-year-old human like Bella could be one? What exactly were the chances of them finding a baby who had the power of being a shield if she were ever to be turned into a vampire? Nobody knew exactly the extent of Bella's abilities except for herself. Bella knew how to tune out every vampire's gift with her own, including Alice's future-seeing ability.

The vision from earlier was actually from Alice's decision to approach Bella, not Bella's decision that set off Alice's vision. Many of them had believed that Bella was like a mirror, reflecting off their abilities when they tried to bring their gifts into play. They weren't completely wrong though. The girl could also simply be perceived as a prism refracting and separating their abilities when they practiced them on her, deflecting their gifts elsewhere instead of her. But Bella never used this ability transparently. No one has caught onto it yet, and the three of them who had gifts were baffled the few times that it had happened, thinking that their abilities had somehow malfunctioned by accident. None of them ever spoke up about it out of pure embarrassment, but Edward had read the other two's minds and realized that it wasn't just him. It caused him to be curious, but he didn't find it strange enough to go to Carlisle about it.

Even though the sounds of pouring rain overpowered every other noise in hearing range, with closed eyes, Bella's hearing sense was heightened and she was able to hear the soft footsteps slowly coming towards her. Within a few seconds, Bella felt a soft weight land onto the mattress she was sitting on and was about to assume it to be one of the female vampires in the house until she slowly opened her eyes and was surprised with an unexpected pair of topaz eyes.

"Hey Bells," Emmett smiled as he crawled over to where she was and sat across from her, leaning against the opposite wall. He crossed his legs and lazily lay back as he threw Bella another gentle smile. Bella tried to grin but she failed, seeing that the gloomy mood has entirely taken up her state of mind at the moment. Emmett looked at Bella with care, wondering why the girl looked so pain-stricken recently. Nobody wanted to disturb her as she hid away in the little nest she made for herself at the window seat, but Emmett saw the situation differently. If anything, he felt Bella needed someone to talk to more than ever instead of leaving her alone to tend to her own wounds, whatever grief it may be.

"_I love this place_." Bella spoke softly as she looked out the window after a few moments of silence. She knew it was an obvious statement, but she felt like it needed to be said at the time.

"Yeah, I know." Emmett chuckled good-naturedly as he eyed the teenager. She really looked as if she was going through a mid-life crisis. Emmett wanted to lean over and shake her shoulders to snap her out of it, reminding her that she was only _sixteen_ and that she had a _whole lifetime_ ahead of her. Well, that wasn't particularly true, considering the agreement they had made with the Volturi about turning her before she turned twenty-five in order for her to stay with the family, but either way, she was still too young to adopt such a worrisome attribute to her character.

"Has Alice come back yet?" Bella asked, not daring to turn around and look into his eyes.

"No, but I think she will _soon_. She would _never_ miss tucking you into bed, baby Bella." Emmett teased the girl. Bella reddened a bit at the comment before turning to face him.

"Don't call me that." Bella said with disapproval before she looked away again.

"Aw, why not? You _are_ the baby of the house." Emmett smiled as she glanced back at him with a reproaching look.

"At least I don't _act_ like one." Bella harrumphed as she looked away and crossed her arms against her chest.

"_Oh ho!_ Who's acting like a baby now? _First_, you hide in this little corner sulking about God-knows-what, and _now_ you're putting on this little grumpy Grinch that stole Christmas act." Emmett leaned over and gently flicked her nose, causing her to yelp before clutching her nose.

"_Hey!_" she yelled before leaning over and smacked his rigid arm. Yeah, not the best idea to slap a vampire's hardened skin. "_Shoot!_" Bella cried out before clutching her hand to her chest. Emmett watched in amusement as she quietly grumbled in pain, and then smirked when she went from glaring at her hand to scowling at him.

"_What? You hit me_." Emmett raised his hands in the air defensively. Bella muttered some incomprehensive curses beneath her breath and then rubbed her hand to soothe the diminishing pain. Luckily, she had only decided to slap him gently, not putting too much force into the strike or else she would've broken some bones in her fragile hand. Bella let out a sigh and leaned back against the wall, trying to relax herself from the not long past distraction. It was quiet between them for several more moments before the vampire decided to speak up, breaking the silence.

"You know…you're so quiet, you never talk to me anymore." Emmett said glumly.

"I talk, just not to you." Bella smirked as Emmett's facial expression fell. He frowned and then crossed his arms over his large chest.

"So now's the time to make up for all those lost times." Emmett grinned excitedly as he stared expectantly at Bella. The girl quirked her eyebrows and thought it over. Bella was tired and she really didn't feel like talking to anyone, but she saw how eager Emmett was to talk to her and she couldn't find the heart in her to just turn him away.

"What do you want to talk about?" Bella hesitantly asked, not really sure what kind of conversation to strike up with him. They've always just engaged in playful banters while she was growing up. The only times she remembered him being serious was when he constantly pointed a finger at her and telling her "_No!_" when she was a toddler walking down a thin line between frivolity and recklessness.

"How about why you've been avoiding Alice so much recently?" Emmett's expression turned curious as he sat up straight and waited for an answer.

"_I_…" Bella stammered over the single word as she felt taken by surprise with the unexpected question. Emmett obviously had a talent for subtlety.

"Well? I don't have all day, you know." Emmett tapped a finger on his arm impatiently as he waited for her answer.

"You won't understand… It's just… _I can't say_." Bella sighed as she felt like she had just melted into a pool of puddle right before the silliest vampire she's ever known in the last sixteen years of her life. It was difficult to tell _anyone_ about what she's been feeling lately. She couldn't even admit it to herself out loud.

"Why not?" Emmett frowned when Bella would not talk to him about what was troubling her.

"It's personal." Bella said before she looked away and out into the rain.

"What's wrong?" Emmett asked.

"I don't want to talk about it, Em." Bella exhaled as her shoulders dropped. Emmett saw the little motion and he did not take kindly to being pushed away.

"Come on, Bella. You need to talk to _someone_. It's not good to keep it all inside. You're going to combust once it consumes you entirely, and you know how flammable we vampires are. They don't take too well with combustions. You're like an impending hand grenade, ready to burst into flames at any moment. And then before you know it, you'll wish – "

"Gee Emmett, and here I thought you were more concerned about _my_ well-being." Bella joked with a hint of mirth in her slightly saddened eyes.

"_I am!_ So tell me what's wrong." Emmett pressed her. Bella stared into his concerned topaz eyes, wondering how she could approach the topic with him. She didn't know how to start or where to begin, but then she decided to pick a point on a whim, so long as she got the heart of the matter across and he understood, it would be good enough for her.

After a long hour of Bella retelling the story of how she felt and then going into details about the things that happened to her when Alice was nearby, Emmett was smiling like a fool by the end of the storytelling. Bella had forgotten for a moment that it wasn't only Emmett who was listening to her, but the entire family as well, and she could only hope that they wouldn't be upset with her. She hadn't meant to fall in love with a vampire. With Alice. With someone who had a mate somewhere out there waiting for her. She knew nothing would come out of the situation with her silly feelings. After recounting the events and her personal thoughts to Emmett, Bella felt a little lighter inside, feeling that a weight has been lifted off of her shoulders somehow. It seems to have cleared her mind and made her think more intelligibly about it. At least now she could face the problem instead of hiding away from it. Bella knew it was only a phase and that she'd grow out of it someday. It was pretty predictable, seeing that she was only sixteen and experiencing all these feelings and teenage hormones for the first time.

"And that's why I can't be myself around her. I feel like…I've _wronged_ her somehow. Or, well, all of you. I know about your nature and how you find your mates…" Bella sighed for the millionth time that evening.

"You didn't wrong her, Bella. You haven't wronged _anyone_. How could you possibly believe that? For a know-it-all, you sure can be such an insufferable fool sometimes. Look, Alice – " Emmett was cut off before he could tell Bella that she was Alice's true mate.

"Well, we can't talk about _me_ without me being here, _can we_?" Alice said pointedly as she threw Emmett a cutting glare.

"_Alice…_when did you…?Did you hear everything I said?" Bella asked with a horror-stricken face. Alice slowly nodded and sat down at the corner of the window seat, whispering at vampire speed for Emmett to make his exit and asking for the rest of the family to give them some privacy.

"If you girls wouldn't mind, I'm going to go hunt now." Emmett zipped out of the room before Bella could beg for him to stay. She couldn't face Alice alone, not now.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Alice whispered loud enough for Bella to hear. Bella felt tears formed in her eyes before she looked away and stared into the semi-dark night. Alice moved closer to the girl and tried not to lose her calm at the heartbreaking sight before her. The girl had sunken so far back into the corner of the window seat, and Alice was afraid that she would break down if she did not stay mindful of Bella's space. Unfortunately, it was too late for that since Bella started to shake uncontrollably and tears began to stream down her face as she silently cried.

"_Oh Bella_…" Alice spoke softly as she moved closer to Bella and took the girl into her arms. Bella began to sob louder and buried her face into the crooked of Alice's neck as she let out all the frustrations that she had felt over the long time that she had began to develop feelings for the vampire. Alice's eyes filled with tears as well and she's never felt such desperation to shed the tears in her eyes at the moment. Bella then pulled back from Alice's arms and looked at her, eyes pleading for something Alice couldn't completely understand.

"My heart is so tired, Alice._ Please. Show me. _How do I stop these feelings from haunting me every day? I just want to be _happy_ with you again. I don't want it to hurt like this any more_._" Bella cried before she closed her eyes and let the tears flow down her reddened cheeks like the torrent of rain outside. Alice reached up and caressed Bella's face with both her hands, gently wiping away the tears that kept on streaming down her mate's face, not entirely sure if she could help.

"How can I show you…when I feel the _exact_ same way?" Alice whispered.

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**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Happy Friday, everyone! I sure hope you enjoy this update. I was so excited to write it and put it up! :) **

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_**Continued…**_

"_What?_" Bella asked in confusion. She had heard the vampire's words clearly, but did not understand what Alice was trying to say. What exactly did Alice meant by those words? And why did she say it? How could Alice be so understanding? Why wasn't she upset with her?

"_I_…" Alice stammered as Bella looked into Alice's eyes, searching for some sort of explanation that may or may not be lying in the topaz color that twirled with various emotions. Bella's tears slowed to a gradual flow as she tried to calm herself down to listen to the words Alice had to say.

"_I love you_." Alice whispered. Bella's eyes widened in shock, not fully understanding Alice's words. Alice saw the fear and doubt in Bella's brown eyes, and she smiled tenderly, caressing Bella's warm and soft features as she stared into her mate's eyes.

"_I do_." Alice spoke softly, trying to reassure Bella that she heard her right. "More than you've ever known." Alice said before she carefully trailed her fingers down Bella's jawline and traced the small jawbone that reflected not only Bella's lineage but her diet as well. Oh, how that would change in less than a decade give or take.

"_B-but_…" Bella faltered over the argument that she came up in her head, seeing that her mouth apparently couldn't catch up with her thoughts. Alice smiled and reached up to brush Bella's hair to the side and stroke her face lovingly, feeling so guiltless and free from the restraints on her impulsiveness to do it over the last few years. Each tender touch felt so amazing and innocent, as though a whole new world was opening up for her to explore. Bella slightly shivered as Alice's cold slender fingers trailed down to her neckline, and she closed her eyes and tried to ignore the lump in her throat when her breath quickened at Alice's seemingly sensual touch. Alice watched as Bella's eyes closed shut when she touched her, naturally basking in the innocence and tenderness of the moment they shared. Bella's beauty glowed and lit up the night in Alice's eyes, and she found it hard to tear her eyes away from her mate, not knowing how to pull back and explain to Bella what was happening between them. The irreplaceable spark that she's felt every day since she's met Bella rendered Alice speechless as it escalated to an unfathomable level of inexplicable pleasure.

"_Please_…" Bella begged as tears continued to stream down her face. She didn't know how to cope with this fear that she felt from within. How was she to brave this confrontation when Alice made her weak with just one single touch? How can Bella _love_ Alice when she felt she stood alone with this fear? It was killing her inside to be so close, yet so far from the one person she loved the most in the world. Alice involuntarily trembled at the single word that held so much more emotion than she has ever heard Bella utter. It scared Alice too of what Bella's reaction might be when she told Bella that she's been dying every day waiting for her. All of Alice's fears and doubts surfaced and time seemed to stand still as she took in Bella's ethereal beauty. Alice knew that she would not let anything take away what was right in front of her, and with every breath that Bella breathed, Alice died with a stronger longing to tell her how much she truly loved her.

"_Bella_…" Alice whispered ever so softly. It was one step closer.

Bella opened her eyes and held her breath, staring into Alice's glistening topaz eyes and wondered how this would end for the both of them. Tears, perhaps.

"_You_ are _the one_ I've been waiting for." Alice said before Bella let out the breath she's been holding in. Bella stared at Alice with incredulity, not really quite sure how to respond. Alice noticed the pause and closed her eyes, dreading Bella's reaction as she prepared the next words she spoke. Slowly, Alice opened her eyes again and stared into Bella's confused ones, readying herself for everything that had led them to this very moment.

"_You are my mate_." Alice finally revealed. Silence ensued them without a doubt.

Bella couldn't believe her ears. She blinked furiously at the vampire before her, wondering if this was all a _very_ cruel joke. Bella gulped at the confession and became more afraid than ever to accept this truth. Bella's breaths quickened when she felt Alice's hands slowly withdrawing from her face, and she panicked at what to do. Without thinking, she caught Alice's cold hands between hers and then looked into Alice's eyes right after. Bella's breath hitched when she saw the same pained expression she's caught several times in the past. It hadn't made sense to her before when she's seen them, and Alice had brushed it off when Bella questioned her about what was wrong. But now Bella understood. This time when Bella met the pained expression again, she had stopped wondering. Because she knew what it was now.

"_I am_." Bella said more than questioned. For the most part, Bella felt terrified of her heart. How it starts and stops when Alice was around. Its constant hunger for something she thought she could never have. What she didn't know was that she's _had_ it all along. Her heart had been the home of a love she's never known of before, and Alice was homesick for the place she's always known from the moment she met Bella in the forest.

Then the tears turned into smiles, the smiles turned into laughs, and the laughs turned into silence as they met each other's intense gaze. This was their time and nothing was going to weigh them down again.

"_I love you, Bella, so much_." Alice's voice dropped to a whisper again, her tone dripping with desperation Bella's never heard before. Bella blinked away the tears that had escaped her again, and she didn't care that they followed the same path as the other tears this time around. Bella could only stare longingly, and lovingly, at the one she loved, and she basked in the tender moment they currently shared.

"_I love you_." Bella whispered back before she reached for Alice's face and rested her forehead against Alice's. They closed their eyes and reveled in the perfect moment, knowing they didn't need to utter another single word to express how deeply they felt for each other.

Several moments later, Alice was the first to open her eyes and she felt the most wondrous feeling staring at her mate. For one second, she saw her life and how perfect it was. It was never lost on her how beautiful Bella is. She just wasn't prepared to be so awestruck by how inhumanly beautiful Bella looked in this blissful moment. Bella unexpectedly opened her eyes a second after, and she slowly pulled away several inches before her gaze fell momentarily on Alice's lips. Alice noticed the slight movement of Bella's eyes, and she knew _exactly_ where Bella's thoughts were. Bella looked up into Alice's eyes again and she bit down onto her lower lip, not knowing how to initiate something she's never done before. Alice's topaz eyes darkened slightly at the sensual gesture, trying to control herself from rushing anything when it came to her Bella.

Bella leaned in slowly, glancing down at Alice's lips once more, and smiled inwardly when she caught Alice wetting her lips. Alice could feel the venom on the tip of her tongue and swallowed the pool of it in her mouth before she could allow it to overwhelm her senses. Bella's cheeks reddened slightly as she continued forward at a slow pace, indulging herself in the tortuous distance to Alice's lips. Alice felt a whisper of sweet poetry echo in the space between them as Bella gained another inch towards her, and she closed her eyes to listen to the beautiful melody that surrounded the two of them. Bella felt the butterflies in her stomach drawing her to an edge she's never gone to before, and she moved her hands to the back of Alice's neck before she drew handfuls of Alice's hair and tugged Alice forward towards her and closed her eyes. Before Alice could see what she had coming for her, she felt the softest pair of lips pressed against her own and she moaned in delight at the warmth that tattooed itself on her cold lips, a feeling she knew she'd never be able to forget. Alice wrapped her arms around Bella's middle and held Bella tight against her body as she moved her lips against Bella's, hearing the louder echoes of Bella's heartbeats when she did so. Bella instantly melted when their lips touched, not expecting for Alice's lips to feel so soft and cold all at once. Alice's lips felt like silk against hers and Bella felt her eyes wanting to roll back from the incredible sensation. All Bella wanted to do was to love Alice's lips, pressing herself against it until the brink of pure bliss, but before Bella could capture Alice's lips between hers again, Alice had pulled away, letting Bella catch the breaths Bella didn't know she needed as they stared intently into each other's hazy eyes. Alice bit down on her bottom lip as she watched Bella's chest heaved and her gaze trailed up to Bella's swollen lips and flushed face, stopping in time to look into Bella's slightly darkened brown eyes. Alice instantly wanted to let out a feral snarl, making it known that Bella was hers and hers alone, but she suppressed the growl immediately and untighten her arms around Bella before she completely drew herself away from her human mate. Bella frowned in response and wondered why Alice was retreating from her, and Alice smiled lovingly at her to reassure Bella that nothing was wrong and also to not give her the wrong impression of her action.

"You're driving me _crazy_, Bella. I _really_ need a moment here." Alice breathed before Bella's cheeks reddened even more at Alice's words. Bella merely nodded and stared at Alice as she tried to regain her even breathing, still feeling desperate for Alice's love and affection. Minutes passed as they stared at each other in silence, taking in the others' slightly disheveled appearance from their little _moment_.

"What happens now?" The words escaped Bella before she could take them back, not really sure how to feel about what she just said. In that very moment, Bella only knew that Alice's love was terrifying and beautiful, and it wasn't something everyone knew how to love.

"I have _so much_ to say to you, and I want to start at the beginning, because that is what you _deserve_ and I want to tell you _everything_ without leaving out a single detail. It's just…we need the whole family here to have the _mate _discussion, because there is a _very _important conversation aside from being mates that we need to talk about." Alice said with concern. She honestly didn't know how Bella would take to a _vampire talk_ right after Alice flung this whole mate situation on the sixteen-year-old human girl. Bella needed to know what was in store for her whether she had accepted Alice as her mate or not. They did have an agreement with the Volturi after all, and it just seemed to be the right time to disclose this important information to Bella. If not now, Alice really didn't know when to reveal the truth to her mate. Bella deserved to know _everything_.

"Okay." Bella simply said before she looked down at the hands in her lap. She felt giddy sitting there across from Alice and couldn't stop the churning inside her stomach as the butterflies flew comfortably around. Alice watched on adoringly as her mate fell back into her shy self, shaking her head as she slowly inched closer towards Bella.

"_Bella_…" Alice playfully whined, causing Bella to look up at her curiously. Bella quirked her eyebrows in response, wondering why the vampire was suddenly pouting at her.

"What?" Bella asked, not entirely sure what it was that Alice wanted from her.

"I want to hear you tell me all the things you told Emmett. _Every single word_." Alice demanded. Bella smiled in response and gave Alice a thoughtful look as the vampire squirmed in one place, waiting for Bella to begin.

"Where do I start?" Bella inquired as Alice perked up when Bella agreed to retell how she fell in love with Alice.

"The beginning, of course!" Alice giggled, and Bella rolled her eyes at the vampire.

_Some things just never seem to change between them._

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**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight**.


	27. Chapter 27

_**The next day…**_

Bella slowly woke as daybreak shed the first light of day into her bedroom, and she murmured some incoherent gibberish that came out of her unconsciously before she stretched in her bed. Pulling the white duvet up towards her chest, she finally hummed a sweet sound before turning her face away from the little less startling sunlight. As she turned onto her side, Bella felt herself pressed up against something slightly cool and frigid, and when she opened her eyes, she was not prepared to see Alice lying next to her on her side as well with closed eyes. A confused expression slowly unveiled itself on Bella's face, and Bella blinked furiously in hopes to recall why they were sleeping in the same bed. Realization began to set in as the previous day's events flowed through her memory bank. Soon enough, the confused expression was erased and in place was a smile forming steadily upon her lips.

After Bella had shyly retold Alice about how she gradually developed feelings for the vampire, Alice had began to explain to Bella all she knew about mates and even reiterated some of Edward's words from his mate explanation to Bella. The conversation had been easygoing until their family had returned home, and Alice announced to them that it was time for Bella to know about her future. They all sat her down and tried to go about it as easily as they can, and Bella shockingly told them that she had expected them to change her once she came of age after all. Everything had been tensed until that very moment when the words slipped from Bella's mouth effortlessly, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief when Bella had taken everything so well, Alice especially. She knew that there were certain things about being human that Bella would miss dearly, and she felt so incredibly selfish for taking that away from the human girl. Edward had unintentionally voiced Alice's concerns without her permission, earning him a very sharp glare, but Bella had went on to tell them she understood that sometimes it took some sacrifice to truly have something worthwhile. The answer had, of course, led everyone to tears that they couldn't shed and the rest of the evening was spent reminiscing on Bella's childhood and Bella and Alice's newfound relationship. Bella had fallen asleep a little past midnight during the storytelling, and Alice had carried her upstairs and tucked her into bed after excusing the both of them from the family's conversation. Which now led them to this very moment.

Bella began to reach over and she let a finger trace the outline of Alice's perfect-formed jaw, staring in awe at the beauty of the vampire that lay beside her. The beam of light had now dawn on Alice's features, causing the vampire's skin to glisten breathtakingly and Bella fell into a daze as she caressed Alice's face with a gentleness that came to her with ease. The corner of Alice's lips slowly lifted and she basked in the attention she was receiving from her mate, keeping quiet as she did so. Never in her existence had Alice experienced such a tender touch, and she smiled inwardly as Bella touched her so lovingly, making her burn in places that shouldn't even be set alight. Bella closed her eyes and inhaled the scent around her, softly moaning at the brilliant sweet smell that filled her nose with the overly appealing aroma. Alice involuntarily purred at that exact moment from the small sound and Bella's eyes shot open as she then remembered that vampires did not sleep. Sensing Bella's frozen movements next to her, Alice opened her eyes little by little, revealing a brightly lit pair of topaz eyes and smiled affectionately at her mate as she did so. Bella's shocked expression faltered as she took in Alice's doting smile that she's grown so fond of and it warmed her in ways that she really couldn't bring herself to believe.

"_Hi_…" Bella breathed before she withdrew her hand with a hasty retreat. Alice lightly took hold of it and stopped Bella, bringing it back to her face as she closed her eyes and reveled in the warmth of Bella's hand. Alice reopened her eyes to reveal a lighter color of topaz eyes and smiled adoringly at Bella before she spoke.

"_Good morning, my Bella_." Alice spoke softly. Bella blushed slightly at the way Alice had addressed her and bit down on her lower lip as she looked away. A few seconds later, Bella's brown eyes found their way back to Alice's radiant topaz ones and she shyly smiled before she leaned in to peck Alice quickly on the lips. Just as their lips parted, Alice's hand had found the back of Bella's neck and pulled her back into another kiss and deepened it almost immediately. Bella gasp at the sudden action and Alice unconsciously let out a raw moan into Bella's mouth as she pressed her lips more firmly against Bella's lips when Bella whimpered in response and returned the kiss in equal fervor. Just as Alice adjusted her position to lie on top of Bella as they kissed, a knock on the door interrupted their intimate moment, and Bella leaned back into the cushioning pillow and pulled away from the kiss. Her head shot to the door and Alice dropped her head to Bella's shoulder as she let out a small groan from the unwanted interruption.

"Bella dear, breakfast is ready!" Esme's voice sounded on the other side of the door. Bella's face reddened immediately when she heard the smile in the woman's voice, and she nodded before realizing that her mother wouldn't be able to see her. Alice chuckled when she caught the slight movement, and she lifted her head up to stare down into Bella's darkened brown eyes.

"Y-yeah, t-thanks mom!" Bella managed to say as she found herself lost in Alice's clouded topaz eyes.

"Okay, dear. Oh, and Alice? A package came for you just moments ago." Esme added as she chuckled outside Bella's door.

"Thanks, Esme." Alice drawled out the woman's name slowly as she rolled her eyes, causing Bella to slightly giggle beneath her. Esme purposely put more exertion into her steps as she walked away so that Bella could hear her, and the both of them looked at one another in silence for a few seconds before bursting out in fits of giggles.

"_Darn_…" Bella sighed as she looked up at Alice adoringly and pushed a strand of hair behind Alice's ear.

"Our first morning together and you're already caught red-handed. Why Bella, I'm incredibly disappointed in you." Alice teased as she leaned down and brushed her nose affectionately against Bella's. Bella frowned in response and crossed her arms as she stayed where she was in bed. Before she even saw it coming, a pair of cold lips had descended upon hers and she closed her eyes a few seconds late in response, allowing herself to be completely enraptured by Alice's smooth lips. Bella moved her arms around Alice's waist and pulled Alice down on top of her, trying to close as much space between them as possible, and just as Bella began lose to herself completely into the kiss, her bedroom slammed open, causing the two girls to jump apart in response at the rude awakening.

"Emmett!" both girls yelled out loud as the big burly vampire started guffawing on the spot at the sight of them all flustered.

"_I'm going to kill you!_" Alice shrieked as she jumped up and chased after the brawny-looking vampire. Bella sat up in bed and looked confusedly at the door as she scratched the back of her head, but after several moments alone without Alice's return, she fell back onto the mattress and an "_oof_" shortly followed.

"It's barely daybreak and they're already at it." Bella sighed before she let her eyes shut close.

Downstairs, the rest of the family chuckled as they had heard everything and witnessed a snippet of Alice chasing Emmett out into the forest behind their backyard.

Life for the Cullens couldn't have been any more perfect than it already was.

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**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Thanks for reading! :)**

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_**A week later…**_

"Did you _really_ have to choose this movie? You're impossible, you know that?" Bella sighed as she leaned back into the cushioned seat in their home theater.

"Oh come on, Bella! This used to be _our_ favorite when you were younger!" Alice said excitedly as she tried not to bounce up and down in her seat to Bella's right.

"Exactly. _When I was younger_. I'm almost seventeen now, Alice." Bella whined as she sank down in her seat and rested her temple against her hand.

The boys sitting in the back row tried very hard not to chuckle at the little banter between the two girls, remembering the good ol' days when the Bella sang and danced on two wobbly feet to the Peter Panda dance as the movie played. Edward and Jasper stared at the both of them adoringly with their chins resting in the palm of their hands, whereas Emmett watched on with eagerness, hoping Bella would somehow get tricked into dancing along when the song came on. Poor Bella would never allow herself to submit to such embarrassment, but a vampire can still hope, right?

Alice frowned for a moment before The Pacifier began, and she smiled before bringing a finger to her lips and telling Bella to keep quiet as the girl tried to speak again because the movie was starting. Bella rolled her eyes and slowly glanced over at Alice from the corner of her eyes, not being able to help but grin when she found a smile planted upon Alice's lips. Bella returned her gaze to the big screen that brightly lit up the darkened room, and she relaxed as the movie she's watched over and over in the past sixteen years of her life just replayed again.

About half an hour later, Bella began to lose focus as the scene of the Fireflies girl scouts set up their table in front of Costco to sell cookies came on. Bella's brown eyes wander around the room in search of something more entertaining before they finally rested on Alice's features, taking in the perfect face she's come to known so well. Bella watched as the corners of Alice's lips lifted up at the scene when the boy scouts began walking over to the girls' table that was set up in front of Costco. The beginning of a smile turned into a pout as the boys sauntered over and bullied the little girl scouts. Bella couldn't help but grin at how adorable Alice was for still being able to be entertained by the same movie even though they've watched it a thousand times over. Bella knew that the real reason they watched this was because it brought on fond memories for Alice to remember with her perfect memory bank. The Peter Panda dance was the first song Alice ever sang to baby Bella after all, and to every one of the vampires, it was truly a beautiful moment that had set time in motion for all of them. It felt like yesterday to them to remember Bella calming down just by Alice's voice when the little human had just arrived at the Cullen's house almost seventeen years ago.

Bella didn't understand why, but she felt a wave of warmth envelope her entire body and she reveled in the pleasant feeling as she continued to secretly gaze at Alice from the corner of her eyes. Emmett nudged Edward's shoulder with his as he noticed Bella fidgeting in her seat, and Jasper who detected the slight movement and observed the twitchy human as well. Emmett brought up two of his thumbs and wiggled them as he began to make small kissy noises, causing Alice to turn around to catch the vampire in the criminal act. Alice's topaz eyes narrowed and she looked at him threateningly for him to stop, and Emmett quickly threw his hands in the air in defense, trying to act as if he had no idea of what she was accusing him of. Alice slowly turned around and missed Jasper and Edward's wide smiles as they made faces at Emmett and teased him silently about getting caught by Alice. Emmett rolled his eyes and then gestured to the door, and unbeknownst to Bella, the three male vampires quickly made their quiet exit out of the theater room.

Alice smiled knowingly and shook her head at her brothers before she looked over at her human mate. Bella pretended to watch the movie as she stared at the big screen, somehow fully aware that Alice was now looking at her. She could just feel the vampire's topaz eyes burning through her skin at that moment. Bella swallowed hard and tried to focus on the movie, but she found it hard doing so when she felt Alice's gaze on her. Slowly, she turned her head and briefly caught Alice's eyes before quickly looking back at the screen, and she felt her face flush as she realized how intense Alice's fixed gaze on her was. Alice's nose flared at the blood rushing up to Bella's face and she unknowingly reached out and cupped Bella's warm cheek, closing her eyes at the warmth that emitted from the young girl's body. Alice swallowed the venom that had quickly pooled in her mouth and tried not to let herself get carry away as Bella's scent swept over her and made her want to lose control entirely.

"_Bella._" Alice breathed slowly, not realizing how much closer she had leaned towards Bella's neck. Bella turned slightly to see Alice at her throat and inhaling her scent, and Bella tried her hardest to swallow the lump in her throat so that she could speak. Before Bella could utter a single word, she felt a feather-like kiss on the side of her neck and her breath hitched as her eyes shut tight.

"_Alice_." Bella gasped as she felt the same pair of silk lips against her flushed skin again.

At the sound of her name, Alice's eyes flew open and she immediately pulled back to her seat, realizing how close she was to Bella's neck. Alice blinked furiously and shook her head to get out of the trance that she was entrapped merely moments ago due to her vampire tendencies around her human mate. Bella looked at Alice with a worried expression, wondering if the vampire was all right and guilt override her other emotions as she felt concern rise within her. Alice suddenly stilled and fell into a vision only to snap out of it seconds later and softened her eyes as she did.

"It's not your fault, Bella." Alice closed her eyes as she tried to calm her hyperactive senses around Bella. It was incredible how only _one_ single human can overwhelm Alice and send her into such an uncultured state. A part of Alice felt relieved that it was her mate that she felt this way for, because she wouldn't be able to accept it if she felt this way about anyone other than her mate.

"Being human stinks." Bella whispered, forgetting that Alice could hear her. Alice giggled and then her eyes lit up as her favorite part of the movie came one.

"Oh Bella, look! It's the Peter Panda dance!" Alice clapped her hands together as she sank back into her seat and stared fixedly at the big movie screen. Bella rolled her eyes and watched the vampire as she smiled and laughed at certain parts of the song as she sang along, and Bella couldn't remember why she hadn't wanted to watch this movie again in the first place.

Hesitantly, Bella reached over and before she could touch Alice's hand, Alice had grasp hers and interlace their fingers before bring Bella's hand up to her face. Alice briefly inhaled Bella's scent before placing a soft kiss on the back of her hand, locking eyes with Bella as she did so. Bella smiled at the sweet gesture and turned back to the movie screen, not being able to get rid of the smile plastered on her face. Little did she know, Alice had the same smile as the vampire turned back to watch the movie.

"_And that's the Peter, I swear that's the Peter, that's Peter Panda Dance!"_ Lieutenant Shane Wolfe sang before Peter giggled and squirmed in his tiny bed.

"_Again!"_ Peter cheered just as the U.S. Navy SEAL tucked him into bed.

Alice glanced over at Bella and smiled fondly as her topaz eyes twinkled with memories of Bella chanting the same word when she learned how to speak.

"_Again_." Alice quietly repeated, wishing she could re-experience the last sixteen years of her life with Bella.

* * *

"It's your turn, dude." a blonde guy behind Bella and Emmett said coolly as the two halted their conversation and looked to the front to see that it was in fact their turn to order after standing in line for the past five or so minutes.

"Thanks." Bella said shyly, not noticing the guy subtly checked her out, before she followed behind Emmett who was looking up at the various items on the menu board.

"What would you like to order, sir?" the man behind the counter asked Emmett. The big burly vampire looked over at Bella confusingly, forgetting about what the order was that Bella said she wanted.

"A corn dog please. Oh, and a medium sized lemonade." Bella added before she put out her hand with her palm up, and Emmett placed a twenty-dollar bill on top of her hand. She handed it to the cashier and they soon left the small vendor to find seats in the food court after grabbing Bella's food and drink. When they finally found a table to sit down at, Bella instantly began to take a bite into the corn dog, not caring for Emmett's disgusted expression.

"How can you eat _mutt_ like it's nothing? _Yuck_." Emmett said with distaste as he stuck his tongue out to express his feeling of revulsion. Bella rolled her eyes at the vampire and took a sip of her lemonade before she swallowed the last pieces of the corn dog in her mouth.

"It's not _actually_ made from dog's flesh, Em. It's illegal in many areas of the States, mostly due to sanitary issues, and also every state will have some kind of specific law outlawing dog meat anyway." Bella explained as she took another bite into the corn dog. She chewed slowly as Emmett mulled over what she had just said and saw him nodding to himself in understanding.

"These sausages are usually composed of veal, pork, or beef, and then they're coated with a thick layer of cornmeal batter and deep fried in oil, although sometimes they are baked. It's pretty tasty once you dip it in red ketchup and some yellow mustard." Bella smiled as she explained the cooking process to Emmett. She's learned to accept that it was how Emmett came to understand things, so that he doesn't jump to conclusions and assumed the worst of everything human-related. Bella was glad that all of the vampires in the house had taken it upon themselves to learn more about humans for her sake, and sometimes she felt pretty fortunate that they loved her so much to cook for her and take her out to eat even though they found human food to taste like clay in their mouth. Bella usually spent a lot of time explaining things to Emmett, since he was the most curious of them all about her human experiences.

"I like my meat _raw_." Emmett joked as he crossed his arms and leaned lightly onto the table. If he had added any more weight, the sturdy little thing would probably collapse under his muscular physique.

"You don't eat meat. You're a vegetarian." Bella teased back as he grinned charmingly her way, knowing full well that she was talking about vampire's only need of blood consumption. Almost immediately, his eyes narrowed as he looked past her and scrutinized the person behind his favorite little human. Bella stared at him confusedly before turning her head around, not noticing anything out of the norms. She turned back around to face Emmett, only to see that he was wearing the same expression but with a scowl plastered to his face now.

"What's wrong?" Bella said as she reached out to touch the vampire's arms, and only then did she notice that he was barely trembling beneath her touch.

"That _blonde_ who stood in line behind us earlier is bragging to his buddies about how he had a _full view_ of your backside earlier." Emmett gritted his teeth towards the end of the sentence as his hands turned into fists. Bella's eyebrows knotted slightly for a moment before focusing on trying to cool Emmett down so he wouldn't do anything rash.

"Emmett, let it go. It doesn't mean anything." Bella said softly as she rubbed his forearm gently, trying to cool down the heated vampire, even though his skin was already cold enough as it was. Emmett breathed in deeply before shaking his head with a choking expression, and Bella laughed as she realized that he had just inhaled the smell of her human food.

"Smells heavenly, right?" Bella joked to take Emmett's mind off of the jerk who was defaming her from who knows where in the food court. Emmett finally cracked a smile but it was barely for a few seconds before his face turned slightly serious again.

"He's going eat it." Emmett said and Bella looked at him confusedly before she then dismissed his words and went back to eating her corn dog. After a few more bites, she had lost her appetite and threw the food away in the trash as she sipped on the lemonade. They began walking out of the food court, and she noticed the blonde guy who was now eyeing her from several feet away, sitting at a table with a bunch of other guys around his age. He couldn't be more than twenty years of age, and if he didn't have such a foul mouth, Bella really would've thought that he was a kind man. Just as they passed by the table and she heard a few snickers amongst them, a loud crash broke out behind her and Bella looked back to see that the blonde who had been sitting in the chair merely moments ago was now lying face down on the ground as he clutched onto one of his shoulders and his other hand was bracing his head.

"Told you he'd eat it." Emmett smirked before he wrapped an arm around Bella's shoulder and led her away from the scene as she heard the guy yelling at his friend for not helping him stand up. She shook her head in amusement and managed a grin before they came face to face with Rosalie and Alice seconds after as they got to the entrance of the food court.

"_Where is he?_" Alice snarled quietly but it was loud enough for Bella to hear.

"I already took care of it, shorty pants." Emmett grinned proudly before Alice snapped her head towards him and stared him down.

"How_ dare_ he defame my mate's character and say such vile things!" Alice hissed as she tried to get past Emmett to head to the food court. Rosalie held the vampire back as Alice got past him and was planning to do some serious damage to the creep's private body part.

"Alice!" Rosalie called her name to get Alice's attention. Alice wouldn't listen and she struggled in Rosalie's arms, and she bared her teeth as she tried harder to escape the blonde vampire's grasp.

Bella suddenly took a step closer to Alice and then placed a hand on her cheek, guiding Alice's eyes to her own as she stared into the dark orbs that looked back at her.

"_Please_." Bella begged. Alice slowly stopped wrestling against Rosalie's hold on her and she slumped back into the blonde's arms as her topaz eyes gradually began to lighten in color. Alice held Bella's gaze as she discerned the concern in Bella's eyes, and she slowly reached up to cover Bella's hand with her own.

"Bella." Alice whispered before Bella walked forward and embraced the vampire. Rosalie stepped back and retreated to Emmett's side as they watched the new couple in concern.

"_Bella_." Alice sighed as she buried her nose deep in Bella's beautiful brown tresses and inhaled Bella's irresistible scent. Bella rubbed Alice's back to soothe the vampire and she smiled as she felt Alice relaxing into her arms. She too couldn't help but breathe in the captivating fragrance that emanated from the vampire's skin. Too lost in their own little world, they were suddenly startled when they heard someone whistling beside them.

"As much as I enjoy these free shows, I'm not sure if I'm willing to share these lady lovin' moments with other people." Emmett half-joked as his eyes darted back and forth around them, seeing some men stare at the two girls locked in a tight embrace. Rosalie rolled her eyes at her monkey man and she handed over the shopping bags to her husband before strutting away and expecting the three of them to follow her. Emmett stayed put for a moment longer and then winked at Bella before he was right on Rosalie's heels. Bella pulled back and looked at Alice with care, but all of her worries were instantly erased once she saw the pronounced smile on Alice's perfect features.

"You're so beautiful when you smile." Bella said in a daze before she quickly decided to lean in and kiss the corner of Alice's mouth, completely missing Alice's lips. Alice pouted as Bella pulled away, but she knew better than to make a scene in a public setting. So then Alice reached for Bella's hand as she began leading them towards the vampire couple walking only a hundred or so steps away from them.

"Actually, you're beautiful _all_ the time." Bella quietly corrected herself as she fell into steps with the vampire beside her. Alice's face instantly lit up at the words and leaned over and planted a quick kiss on Bella' cheek before giggling and trying not to skip happily the rest of the way over to Emmett and Rosalie.

Bella shook her head, once again forgetting that Alice could hear her. She easily smiled when Alice tugged her along as they went back onto their little adventure in the shopping mall.

_Double dates are actually kind-of fun_, Bella thought to herself as she was led into another store.

At least this one wouldn't go into the top ten worst date list.

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**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Thank you for reading! **

* * *

_**A few months later…**_

Alice tried her hardest not to stare while Bella was lying on her stomach reading with her feet comfortably dangling in the air. Alice was trying to draw a sketch for her new design that she had thought of earlier that day, but she had somehow crept over to sit on her bed with Bella instead of staying stationed at her drawing desk.

The beautiful vampire watched as Bella tilted her head from time to time, obviously finding certain parts of the story amusing as she did so. Alice couldn't help but noticed how cute Bella was with her hair up in a bun yet with several strands of hair falling to the front of her face. It took all of the vampire's willpower not to lean over and brush the single strands of hair aside and tuck them behind Bella's ear. Bella happened to be one of those readers who didn't take too kindly to being interrupted while she was mentally interpreting the characters' motives and symbols composed in the novel. That's why Alice couldn't allow herself to do the things she currently wished she could do to the sixteen-year-old.

Alice let out an almost silent sigh so her little human cannot hear, and she finally found herself looking back to the sketchbook in her hands. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized that she had spent the last hour drawing the lithe figure lying beside her. The portrait contained so many intricate details that made the picture come to life before her topaz eyes, and she smiled as she looked back and forth between the detailed sketch and the real human beside her. Alice shook her head wondrously in disbelief and chuckled softly, and the twinkling sounds certainly did not escape Bella's ears as it reached the younger human's hearing organ. Bella turned her head towards Alice and quirked an eyebrow and Alice's eyes found Bella as she noticed the slight movement next to her. Alice smiled serenely and finally allowed herself to reach forward and tuck Bella's stray hair behind her ear before leaning in and placing a soft kiss upon Bella's nose. Bella's features wrinkled in response but they both knew she enjoyed the feeling nonetheless.

"What's so funny?" Bella curiously asked, but Alice only shook her head in response as she begins smiling. Bella's face remain scrunched up as she then returned her attention to the book in her hands, and she shook her head in annoyance and rolled eyes before she started rereading the same page she's been zoning out on in the last half an hour.

It was only a few months before their family would be moving to Forks, and then she'd start school soon after. Bella felt anxious about attending a public school, but deep within it felt right to her to interact with humans and give it a try before she decided she wanted to conceal herself from the rest of the world's population like her family when she was finally turned. Bella knew it made all of her family members incredibly nervous to let her venture into little-known waters, and that is why all of the Cullens, save for Esme and Carlisle, decided it was best to attend school with her. It was only natural that they were protective of their human, but Bella felt beyond relieved knowing that she'll have people to fall back on if anything went wrong, even though there was very little possibility that anything could surprise her after all she's seen by this point in her lifetime.

Then, there was Alice to think of. It did not escape Bella's attention that Alice was more protective of her than per usual ever since she's admitted her feelings for the vampire, and Bella knew that most of it was part of the mate bonding process. Bella didn't find the vampire's affections and protectiveness overbearing, but she feared for what may happen if humans came up or talked about her at school, because Alice was still in the mate bonding phase where she was quite susceptible to act out irrationally at an appreciative glance or two from strangers from time to time. Bella was aware that Alice was trying her best to reel in her instinctive reactions to anyone noticing _her_ Bella every time, and Alice was getting better at it. The rate of change in her behavior was staggering ever since a few months ago, but it was without saying that Alice still needed more practice. They went out often now because of that reason, and more than half the time, other members of the family had to accompany Bella and Alice on their usual outings. Not one of them minded since they enjoyed family bonding time outside of their home, and they felt incredibly proud of Alice for getting so far.

"Any plans for today?" Alice's question suddenly snapped Bella out of her deep thoughts. Bella turned and looked at her adorably perfect mate, who was wearing a pair of tight designer jeans and a chiffon cut laser short sleeve short. Bella smiled lazily at Alice after slyly giving her the onceover, and sat up as she marked the page and set the book down on Alice's bed.

"Mall?" Bella suggested, trying to propose something more fun for the vampire since she deserved it after going through the many struggles she did with the humans who've approached Bella. It amazed Bella that Alice wasn't even aware that more than half of the time that the simple humans were looking Bella's way, it was because of Alice's inhuman beauty that attracted their attention, but then Bella conclusively decided that she rather loved Alice's unpresuming character trait anyway.

Alice smiled brightly and closed her sketchbook as she zipped over across the room to place it on her drawing table, and then decided to strut over to her walk-in closet with a purpose, adding a little bit of a sway into her hips as she did so. Bella stared after the luscious-looking vampire that was seducing her, not being able to help herself as she checked out Alice's ass. Alice knew exactly the things she could do to her human mate, and she often used it to her advantage when she felt like teasing Bella. The girl got up from the bed and walked out of the room when Alice disappeared out of her sight, and just as she got to Alice's door, Rosalie had appeared from nowhere with a soft smile on her beautiful features.

"Shopping?" the blonde asked with a hint of excitement that she always oddly felt the need to conceal. Bella nodded in response before heading in the direction of her bedroom. Once there, Bella changed into a pair of black cropped jodhpur pants and pulled on a sea green ruched-back sweater, both designed by Phillip Lim. Before she walked out of her own walk-in closet, she grabbed a black pair of Burberry suede ballet flats and slipped them on, and then she switched off the lights in the glamorous room as she made her exit. After taking a quick look in the mirror that was hung behind her bedroom door, she opened it and walked out into the hallway, not at all surprised that Alice was perched against the wall opposite her bedroom. Bella let her eyes wander shamelessly down the length of Alice's figure as she admired how Alice had dressed in leather from top to bottom, save for the white double-layer tank top she had on underneath the cognac-colored leather jacket. The black leather pants clung tightly to Alice's slender legs, and a pair of Lollita chain-trimmed suede sandals embellished her appearance as it added a few inches to her height.

When Bella's eyes finally made their way back up to the pair of amused topaz eyes she came to love, she stepped forward and leaned in to kiss Alice's cheek. Of course, Alice had a brief vision of this right before Bella finished dressing up, and Alice quickly turned her head slightly to the left and caught Bella's lips, instantly moaning softly at the feel of Bella's lush lips against hers. She pulled Bella forward and held Bella against her own lithe body as she pulled back slightly before pressing her lips sensually against Bella's once again. Whereas Alice was completely immersed in their kiss, Bella had barely grasp onto the situation and suddenly felt her eyes fluttering close as Alice's silk-like lips brushed against hers once more before kissing the vampire back with as much fervor. Bella lifted both her hands up to cup Alice's face as they kissed and she could feel the _pull_ towards Alice by a hair's breadth. Little did Bella know, Alice was feeling the same sensation a thousand times over and cannot retract herself from her human mate as hard as she tried when she knew she was close to overstepping boundaries.

_Edward!_ Alice called out to her mind-reading brother before she felt more than two pairs of hands pulling her away from her Bella. Alice watched with darkened eyes as Bella breathed heavily a few feet away and her cheeks were now flushed from lack of oxygen.

"Sorry," Alice apologized as she supported herself against the wall behind her with her two hands. "Got a little carried away…" Alice grinned sheepishly Bella's way before the girl nodded back at her in understanding, while Edward, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie watched on in amusement at the two.

"A little?" Emmett joked before he felt a smack at the backside of his head. He yelped in response, knowing full well that it was his Rosie that had done it, which caused everyone to laugh and lightened the atmosphere a bit.

"So, who's driving?" Jasper was the first to speak. Edward rolled his eyes as he felt Bella block everyone's thoughts from him and then saw Bella smiled cheekily, seeing that it would be more fun to have everyone entertainingly debate over who's going to drive. It was a sure deal that Rosalie was going to be driving her red convertible, so that usually left a spot for one more driver.

"It's my turn!" Emmett whined as everyone stared at him indifferently, knowing they weren't going to let him drive his big black monster jeep.

"Let's put it to a vote." Bella put forward and everyone nodded as Edward tried again not to roll his eyes at the girl's comical act. After they went around in a circle, it was then decided that Jasper would be the second driver.

Rosalie had then snatched Bella and pulled her into the red convertible before Alice could argue with her. They were now on the road and Bella was softly singing along to the song on the radio, and Rosalie smiled as she effortlessly drove and tuned in on Bella's sweet voice. The beautiful blonde could only imagine what the foursome were jesting about as they rode together in the Mercedes Benz's midsize five-seat M-Class SUV that they borrowed from Esme since Jasper's only ride was his beloved Ducati. Rosalie slowly stepped on the brake as she made an exit off the busy highway, which led them onto a narrow street, straight towards the city's shopping mall. It was barely five minutes before they arrived at their destination and merely moments later, a black SUV pulled into the parking spot to Rosalie's left as she stepped out and the blonde smiled as Emmett flung the door open and impatiently jumped out of the car before the Jasper even got the chance to completely park the car. Bella had just stepped out of Rosalie's convertible and laughed as she saw Emmett fixing himself upright as he landed on his unsteady feet, and Emmett frowned when he noticed that Bella had saw him in his rare state of clumsiness. The others quickly got out of the car and soon began to walk towards the shopping mall in pairs with Alice and Bella, Rosalie and Emmett, and Jasper and Edward. Alice interlaced her fingers with Bella as they held hands, and Bella looked over at her with a doting smile as she swung their hands gently back and forth when they walked in silence.

About an hour later, they were all walking around in the glamorous Saks Fifth Avenue store, looking at the many designer items displayed beneath bright lights. Edward walked beside Bella as they trailed after Rosalie and Alice, both who were admiring the new arrivals of the summer collections, and Emmett and Jasper were walking a few feet behind them talking about a game about wars and battle strategies as they carried the girls' shopping bags.

"You should do it." Edward's words startled Bella and caused her to momentarily halt mid-step as they followed the two beautiful female vampires. Bella looked over and watched Edward curiously before he rolled his eyes at her for the millionth time that day.

"What about?" Bella hesitantly asked as she treaded carefully around Edward's question, not knowing if she had let her shield down as she was deep in thoughts only seconds ago.

"Well, I'd say it out loud but she'd hear me." Edward smiled before he winked her way. Bella blushed as she realized that she _did_ let her shield down. She brought up a hand and gently smacked her forehead at her carelessness, and Edward chuckled beside her.

_Will she like it?_ Bella silently asked.

"Yes." Edward smiled and saw Alice turning her head around a bit and looking at him curiously. He shook his head at her and Alice rolled her eyes before returning her attention to the low cut shirt she was currently looking at. It was futile to even bother to press Edward for answers. He was as stubborn as a bull as they all would say.

"Alright." Bella decided and made sure to shield her decision from Alice.

Edward's smile widened and he wrapped an arm around Bella as they walked along the aisle, ignoring the stares he was receiving from the salesgirls that were ogling him from afar. It was nice to have Bella by his side, because then he wouldn't have to worry about fending off the girls all by himself. He'd probably turn into his broody old self if he had to deal with them alone.

"I think they _like_ you." Bella teased as she gently nudged him at the side of his ribs. Edward once again rolled his eyes and then bent down to whisper into Bella's ear, making it appear as though he was kissing the side of her face.

"Well, I can assure you that the feelings aren't _mutual_." Edward spoke with a hint of annoyance before he stood up straight again and led the both of them after Rosalie and Alice.

"I don't see what they see in you." Bella said as matter of fact before she crossed her arms. Edward still kept his arm around her shoulders as he pulled her in closer but only to the extent where she was still comfortable walking beside him.

"I can think of many things. My looks, my intellect, my charm, my muscular built bod– "

"Are you trying to seduce my little Bella?" Alice's teasing voice cut him off as she stood right before them while crossing her arms across her chest, causing the both of them to halt before they ran right smack into her. Edward withdrew his arm from Bella and raised both hands into the air defensively, not certain if Alice was experiencing one of her _jealous_ moments once again as he tried to read her mind to make sure.

"_No_, I was simply explaining what a delightful company I am when I grace someone with my presence." Edward joked before he dropped his hands and then hid them in his jeans' front pockets.

"_Really now?_" Bella teased him with her arms still crossed against her chest. Alice finally cracked a smile and then uncrossed her arms before she went over and leaned in to kiss Bella's cheek, causing her mate to grin in response.

"Women…" Edward sighed, seeing that he was no longer needed there. He retreated to the back where the other two male vampires were still in a conversation about war strategies, and Alice turned to face Bella.

"So." Alice said as her eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Yes?" Bella said as she now faced the beautiful vampire as well.

"Nothing!" Alice giggled, her voice tinkling like bells before she walked off and left Bella standing there alone in confusion. Bella was simply too enchanted with Alice to even realize that she was standing with a dazed expression, and when she did come around to recognizing that she was, her feet had started moving.

_God, I love her._ Bella thought lovingly before she sighed and quickly followed after the vampire.

Bella's plan was slowly setting in motion right under Alice's nose, and she hadn't a clue about it.

_**To be continued…**_

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**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: I'm still working on **_**the surprise scene**_** so I thought I'd update and give you folks something to read while you're waiting. It's a fill-in of what's happening between the last and next chapter. **

**Also, I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone who's been reading, supporting, reviewing, following, and possibly rereading the story. It's been so hectic trying to study, go to school, and write but knowing there are people reading Irreplaceable Spark keeps me motivated to update whenever I can find spare time. I really appreciate you all. Yup. Just wanted to let you know. Hope you enjoy the update, and have a wonderful day ahead! :)**

* * *

_**Continued…**_

"You know, I think it's time you and Bella start talking about marriage." Rosalie nonchalantly said as her eyes swiftly ran over the sets of rings in the glass display. Alice's eyes widened at the comment and almost tripped over her front foot, but luckily for the vampire, her good balance was able to help her remain upright and steady in less than half a second.

"_Rose!_ She's only _sixteen_! We haven't even…" Alice trailed off, not really wanting to explain her relationship with Bella to the blonde. Alice knew that if she'd start, she would never be able to stop herself, and Bella was trailing not too far behind them. Alice quickly glanced over to where Bella was, seeing Bella eye the sparkling jewelries on display and she turned back to look at Rosalie who was now asking the nervous-looking salesgirl to let her see a pair of rings.

"We both know she's not _really_ sixteen, Alice. Need I remind you that – "

"No! Don't you start!" Alice cut in when she saw Rosalie begin to go into the topic of her sexual life.

"Alice, we're both over a century old." Rosalie rolled her eyes before she went on, "But you're going to have to tell her sooner or later." Alice's shoulders slumped down and she let out a small sigh at how right the blonde vampire was. It's been so difficult trying to keep her hands off Bella and she couldn't find it in herself to tell Bella the simple solution to her overprotectiveness over the young girl. _Sex._ As soon as Alice marked her mate, she would not have to constantly fear her mate being taken away from her.

"It's just…she's so young, Rose. I don't think it's right to put that kind of pressure on her." Alice slowly lifted her eyes up to meet Rosalie's as she explained her concerns. Alice swallowed as she saw Rosalie's wicked smile aimed towards her.

"Now Alice, are we seriously going to talk about the smell of Bella's _arousal _every time you two are in the same room? But fine, suit yourself if you like to go out of your way to touch yourself in the forest." Rosalie said blatantly as Alice furiously blinked her eyes.

"What! I don't know what you're – " The boom of Emmett's laughter from across the room cut Alice off, and the vampire made a sharp turn to give the burly vampire a pointed glare. Emmett just nudged Jasper's side to get him to laugh along with him, but Jasper being the gentleman that he was bowed his head slightly to apologize for Emmett's behavior. Alice winced slightly when she realized that Rosalie had spoken loud enough for all the vegetarian vampires in the building to hear. Alice turned around and scowled at Rosalie, who merely shrugged before she walked out of the jewelry department of the store. Alice followed behind grudgingly and mumbled a few incoherent curse words at the blonde as she did, amusing the three male vampires as they followed a hundred or so feet behind.

With the five vampires so wrapped up with Alice and Rosalie's discussion about Bella and Alice's sex life, they had totally forgotten about the young girl, accidentally leaving her behind in the jewelry department where she had now wander over to the rings and necklaces.

Bella admired the intricate designs of the jewels and personal ornaments, wondering why she's never bought jewelry for herself before. They sparkled with beauty and exuded such lovely aesthetic qualities, and it was obvious the works that were put into them must've cost tons of people hours to get to the final product.

"Can I help you?" a girl's voice snapped Bella out of her half-conscious state from admiring the jewelries.

"Um…just looking." Bella nervously said before she cleared her throat. The brunette with long hair looked barely over twenty and her blue eyes were sparkling with interest as she stared at Bella. There was a type of innocence about Bella that caused her to stare a little longer than necessary, and Bella shied under her gaze, cheeks blushing moderately at the unneeded attention.

"Are you from here?" the older girl asked more casually than she actually felt towards the sixteen-year-old. Bella looked up at the salesgirl, wondering if it was such a good idea to talk to her with Alice around, but when Bella's eyes searched the room and cannot find Alice, she decided that it wouldn't hurt to have small talk with the older girl.

"Sort-of." Bella smiled shyly before she started to glance around at the jewelry around them, diverting her eyes from the girl's attentive ones.

"What's your name?" the clearly interested salesgirl went on to ask even though her question wasn't thoroughly answered.

"Isabella." Bella said her whole first name smoothly before she lifted her gaze up to meet the older girl's blue eyes.

"I'm Jade." the salesgirl introduced herself as she held Bella's gaze. It was almost a moment too long, and Bella tore her eyes away from the girl as she went back to looking at the diamond rings she was admiring not too long ago.

"You know, you look awfully similar to a friend of mine." the older girl spoke again when she realized that she had lost Bella's attention. Of course, this remark caught Bella's awareness once again and the salesgirl smiled to herself as she went on, "You both have brown eyes." Bella cracked a smile at the comment and then bit on her lower lip as she reconsidered the older girl's friendly approach.

"A lot of people have brown eyes." Bella spoke softly, watching amusedly as the salesgirl's smile widened even more.

"True. But not many people share _your _brown eyes." the girl smirked when the younger girl began to blush once more.

"_I don't appreciate that_." A cold velvety voice caused both the girls to jump a little in their individual spots. Bella turned to her right to see Alice, and before she could smile, she noticed Alice's stoned look and her mind started backpedaling as a frown quickly replaced her initial expression.

"Alice…" Edward warned as Bella felt a wave of calmness encompassed her, knowing full well that it was meant for Alice. It did help with the blush and Bella glanced over to Jasper and gave him a grateful nod before he slightly bowed his head to acknowledge her silent appreciation.

"Now, was I wrong to bring the topic up earlier, Alice?" Rosalie asked with the _'I told you so'_ tone. Alice growled lowly enough for the vampire to hear, but Bella and the human girl hadn't been able to catch the threatening sound.

The salesgirl's eyes widened as she looked from one vampire to another and her blue eyes grew bigger and bigger as she swept a glance over all of them, not being able to believe the amount of inhuman beauty in one room before her eyes. Emmett checked out the blue-eye brunette with a brief scan and found nothing special about the girl other than her being slightly more attractive the average-looking human. He removed his arm from around Rosalie's shoulder and walked over to Bella's left side before crossing his arms across his large chest and stared the salesgirl down. The poor human looked afraid for her life as she stumbled a few small steps back, holding onto the wall behind her as she tried to regain her footing.

"Um…can…I…help…y-you?" she stuttered as she took a large gulp, the noise of course did not escape the vampires' ears. Bella wanted to smile in amusement at the older girl who was oh so very self-assured and confident earlier, but at the same time she felt bad for the girl.

"Guys…stop it." Bella whispered lowly, knowing they could all hear her. At Bella's command, everyone including Alice stopped harassing the girl and their expressions softened slightly.

"Jade, this is my _girlfriend_, Alice." Bella enunciated the word 'girlfriend' with much more emphasis than necessary, but she was only doing it to soothe Alice's nerves. The salesgirl nodded slightly, still quite intimidated by the five beautiful-looking people who had been staring at her intensely just moments ago.

"Did you want something from here, baby?" Alice asked sweetly as she ignored Bella's introduction to the salesgirl. Bella quirked an eyebrow in amusement and jerked her head towards Alice to eye the future-seeing vampire. Alice was blinking her topaz eyes innocently Bella's way, and Bella could almost feel the venom swirling behind them as she plotted the salesgirl's doom. Edward coughed momentarily into his fisted hand, and Bella looked at Edward to see him gesturing over towards Alice. Her presumptions of course had just been confirmed. Alice _was_ planning the salesgirl's destruction.

"No, let's go." Bella said quickly before pulling Alice along, giving the older girl an apologetic look before she left. Alice threw one glance back at the salesgirl as she was pulled away, glaring at her with the most frightening look the human has ever seen in her short life, and Alice turned her head around to look at Bella as she was tugged along by her mate. When they were finally three floors down and away from the poor salesgirl, Bella finally let out a small sigh, thanking her luck that nothing disastrous had happened back there. The four vampires trailing behind them tried their hardest not to laugh at Bella's reaction, but Rosalie had already cracked a victorious smile, knowing full well that Alice was now considering her proposition from earlier.

"Bella Bear, you ruined all the fun." Emmett teased as he pouted at the young girl. Bella scowled at him before turning to look at Alice. The vampire had a distant look in her eyes, and Bella knew that Alice was currently having a vision. Not more than a few seconds later, Alice was finally staring into Bella's eyes attentively before she contemplated Bella's expression.

"Alice is wondering if you're mad at her." Edward spoke her thoughts aloud as Alice scowled at him. Bella looked at Alice in confusion and it took her a few seconds before she caught on with Edward's words.

"Of course I'm not. You can't help it." Bella smiled as she reached out a hand to cup Alice's face. Alice's topaz eyes softened at the kind gesture and she pulled Bella into her arms as she held on tight.

"Good, because I _tried_ and I couldn't see how you'd react. You've got to stop mentally blocking me!" Alice whined into Bella's ear. The young girl smiled as she threw a wink Edward's way, feeling beyond accomplished that she was going to be able to surprise Alice tonight after all.

_Fingers crossed!_ Bella thought aloud for the vampire to hear.

Edward just shook his head back and forth in amusement as he watched on the scene with the rest of his family.

It was definitely going to be a nice surprise for the future-seeing vampire.

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**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: I really enjoyed writing this chapter. It's one of the many things that interest me, and I hope that it tickles your fancy as well. If not, I do hope that you somehow can find a way to enjoy the chapter. Thank you so much for reading! See you next time! :)**

* * *

_**Continued…**_

"Is it all ready, Esme?" Bella whispered into her cellphone even though she knew that Rosalie could hear her. She had called Esme earlier after making up her mind about Alice's surprise and Edward had kept Alice occupied while she made the brief call.

"Yes, dear. I did exactly as you drew on the blueprint." Esme smiled into the phone as she looked over her work. "I also bought all items you've written on the back of your notebook just like you said."

"Thank you so much, Esme!" Bella squealed in her seat, causing Rosalie to shake her head and smile from the driver's seat as she raced them home before the other four vampires could. "I really couldn't have pulled this off without you, mom! You're the best!" Bella gushed as she thought fondly of the vampire who had turned into her mother figure for the past sixteen or so years.

"You're welcome, darling. I'll see you in a bit, alright?" Esme said tenderly and Bella told her goodbye before she put her cellphone away in her pocket.

"You're quite the sneaky little mouse, Bella." Rosalie teased as Bella grinned triumphantly. "Care to explain what that was all about?" the blonde inquired.

"It's a surprise for Alice." Bella's choice of words indicated that she wished to speak no further about the topic.

"Okay." Rosalie said and Bella smiled gratefully at the vampire for not prying as she pulled into their home's parkway. That's the way the blonde was and Bella liked how Rosalie was the least intrusive of all of her family members. Bella quickly opened the car door and raced into the house before Rosalie had even set foot outside of the car, and the vampire shook her head in amusement as she popped the trunk open and left it there for the boys to pick up the shopping bags from it later. Just as Rosalie had stepped inside the house, she heard the sound of a human heart hammering as loud footsteps raced to the top of the stairs.

Bella opened the door to the bedroom carefully before she stepped in, and her eyes gleamed immediately as she observed the work done to it. The picture Bella's drawn had unrealistically come to life right before her eyes, and she couldn't _believe_ that it was really there.

"Esme…" Bella's voice fell to a whisper as she watched in amazement at the vampire's work. The family's matriarch stepped into her vision as she heard her name and Bella immediately enveloped Esme into the tightest hug that she can conjure. "This…is…_amazing_." Bella whispered into Esme's ear as the vampire smiled with pride at her work. "_You're amazing_." Bella corrected herself before she pulled back and looked gratefully into Esme's topaz eyes.

"As much as I'd like to enjoy this moment with you dear, I think we're almost running out of time. Don't you need a minute or two to set things up?" Esme asked teasingly before Bella's eyes widened at her own forgetfulness.

"_Shoot!_" Bella yelled before she ran out of the vampire's sight. Esme chuckled quietly to herself before she exited the room and descended downstairs where she heard the commotions of her family outside the house. The vampire sped out to the garage to see her family laughing at Emmett's attempt to get out of the trunk where all the shopping bags were stuffed along with the vampire.

"Young man, what on Earth are you doing laying in the trunk of my car?" Esme said in reprimanding tone. The Herculean-looking vampire frowned at the matriarch's remark and was about to open his mouth to speak when Edward jumped in and beat him to it.

"There weren't enough space in the backseat for him with all the girls' purchases, so we had to stick him in the back." Edward laughed as he explained to Esme. The woman finally cracked a smile and looked at the backseat where a big box had taken Emmett's place.

"He lost a bet and had to take the trunk." Edward made clear when Esme was about to ask why they stuffed the biggest man into her trunk. Esme chuckled as she looked down at poor Emmett trying to get out of the trunk.

"Little help here. Anyone?" Emmett almost squeaked as he tried to wiggle out of the compartment that seemed too small for someone his size.

"_Hm_. Let me think about it." Alice crossed one arm across her chest before setting her elbow on it and resting her chin on top of her fisted hand. The other vampires laughed as she did so, and Rosalie finally appeared in the garage to find everyone gathered around Esme's car.

"What's going on?" the blonde asked before she made her way over to the back of the car. "Baby, what on Earth are you doing in there?" Rosalie inquired as she took his reaching hand and pulled him out with ease due to her incredible vampire strength. The big man popped out of the small space and grunted as he finally landed on his two feet. He dusted off his pants and straightened out his t-shirt before he glared at Edward, Jasper, and Alice. They only chuckled at his behavior and after a few moments of trying to get all of the bags out of the car, the male vampires began to carry all of the shopping bags into their house while the females strutted in with their hands free of any labor.

Esme saw Alice heading for the stairs and she put a hand onto Alice's arm to stop her, and the younger vampire looked at Esme with a curiosity-filled expression.

"Can you tell Bella to come downstairs in an hour? Dinner will be ready by then." Esme smiled warmly at Alice before releasing her hold on the girl.

Alice returned a smile before she bounced up the stairs and headed towards Bella's bedroom, wondering what her young mate was up to. Just as she put her hand on the bedroom's doorknob and twisted it, Alice realized that Bella had locked her bedroom's door and her eyebrows quirked up in amusement.

"Bella?" Alice questioned tentatively as she tilted her head slightly to the right. The vampire heard some small movements further behind the door, and by the sound of it, the girl seemed very far away from her bedroom's entrance.

"Alice?" Bella yelled loudly, wanting to know if it was her.

"Yes?" Alice called back loud enough for Bella to hear, and she shook her head in hilarity at the situation. Not a minute later, Alice heard footsteps coming towards the door and she took one tiny step back as the bedroom door unlocked and Bella slightly cracked the door open.

"Bella?" Alice asked again as the human girl stuck her head out through the space of the opening door, covering the view of her bedroom with it.

"Um, hold on a second!" Bella quickly said as she closed the door and Alice soon heard interesting sounds echo about in the bedroom.

"Is everything okay?" the vampire asked, a little concern about what was going on behind the bedroom's door. Not even a half a minute later, the bedroom's door reopened and Bella snuck out through the small space before closing the door behind her and stood right in front of Alice.

"Okay. I need to close your eyes so I can put this over them." Bella said as she lifted up a strip of black fabric that was meant to blindfold the vampire. Alice blinked once, twice, and then quirked an eyebrow at the young girl.

"May I ask _why _I need to be blindfolded?" Alice inquired, even though she knew from the look on Bella's face that the girl wasn't going to be giving up a darn clue.

"Nope. It's a surprise." Bella responded before she gestured for Alice to close her topaz eyes. Alice rolled her eyes and let out a sigh before she relented and closed them, immediately feeling the strip of fabric against her face and covering her eyes.

"No peeking." Bella added before she tied the knot behind Alice's head. Before Alice could protest, she felt Bella take her hand and lead her into Bella's bedroom after she heard the girl opened the door.

Alice memorized the design of Bella's room from the many days of spending time with her in there. It was to the point where she could even draw a map of the place, and Alice's curiosity sparked as she wondered where Bella was going to lead her. They walked slowly as Bella led her further into the room, and as she was counting her thirtieth step into Bella's room, Alice began to feel confused because she didn't recall Bella's room being this big, and the echoes of her footsteps were now reverberating much softer. As sound waves travel, they would become weaker and the sounds become softer, and if they were supposed to be at the other side of Bella's room by now, the sounds should be getting louder _not_ softer. Alice's eyebrows knotted together at being slightly thrown off course, because she was so sure that she should be near Bella's built-in bathroom by now. There was also a hint of fresh paint that she couldn't understand as well. Just as she had finished her thoughts, she heard a door creaking open and a switch shifted as a small sound reflected the movement. She felt the smooth floor tiles beneath her feet and she sighed at the nice feeling against her hardened skin. Alice tried her hardest to gather her thoughts now that they were supposed to be where she thought they _should _be, but as she backtracked their steps in her mind, some things just didn't add up neatly.

"Are your eyes still closed?" Bella spoke softly as Alice felt Bella come around and stand behind her.

"Yes." Alice hesitantly answered as she took in the soft sound of water cascading into some kind of small pool by the resonance of it. She felt Bella's hand at work behind her head and within a few seconds, the fabric strip was removed from her eyes and she dare not let her eyes open until she was given the go-ahead by her Bella. She felt the girl move to her right side and take her hand before she felt the softest caress of Bella's other hand around her forearm.

"Open your eyes." Bella whispered, and Alice did just that.

Alice gasped at the sight before her, her topaz eyes roaming the room and fully appreciating the romantic gesture that Bella had produced for her. She took in the new Moroccan style décor of Bella's bathroom, noticing how there was an in-built small-looking pool that was maybe about 6x6 feet sitting in front of her. The water was pouring from the mouth of the gold faucet with two rows of two golden faucet knobs right above it. Alice figured those were there to adjust the water's temperature. The mini square-looking pool was already filled about halfway and there were pink and white rose petals swimming idly at the top of the surface as the pouring water moved them away from where it fell near the center. There was a step to one side of the pool that took up about a quarter of the floor's square space, and the water had now filled over and was a few inches above the step as well. Seems like it could've passed for a sitting area inside the small pool. The small bathing area was build with glazed over cement walls and the squared pool was built with cement as well. It appeared like the cement was then painted with a soft green after it had dried, and the room glowed beautifully with one Moroccan lamp that sat in the built-in space in one of the cement walls. There were also four Moroccan lamps sitting at each of the four corners of the bath as well, and inside of them were tea candles that were burning slowly as they lit the room with a soft glow. The design of using Moroccan lamps was incredibly thoughtful of Bella because of how flammable vampire's skins can be, and Alice began crying as she watched the light danced along the soft green cemented walls. Her topaz eyes glanced over to the bath salts held in glass cylinders and sitting at the edge of the pool where other bath necessities were as well before she glanced up and saw the black prints against one of the cement walls:

_**I carry your heart with **_

_**me. I carry it in my **_

_**heart. I am never **_

_**without it. Anywhere I **_

_**go you go, my dear; and **_

_**whatever is done by **_

_**only me is your doing, **_

_**my darling. I fear no **_

_**fate, for you are my **_

_**fate.**_

_**- E.E. Cummings **_

"Bella…" Alice whispered as her eyes ran over the light pink and white rose petals again. It was simply too beautiful for words, and Alice's eyes glistened with tears as she finally looked over to see Bella smiling warmly at her.

"I wanted to do something special for you. I know how hard it's been with…everything, and I wanted to surprise you." Bella smiled as she gently squeezed Alice's hand. Alice felt the warmth of Bella's hand on her the entire time, but the warmth has now spread to her lifeless heart and made her feel so _alive._ She pulled Bella towards her and leaned in to kiss her lips, and Bella smiled into the kiss as Alice held her with care in her cold inviting arms.

"_It's beautiful_." Alice breathed as she pulled back from her mate, staring intently into Bella's eyes. Bella smiled and then stepped away from Alice, holding both her cold hands an arm's length away before Bella let her eyes wander around the bathroom.

"It is…and it's _ours_." Bella spoke softly as her eyes locked with Alice's when she breathed the last word.

"_Ours?_" Alice inquired in confusion. She looked around again and then suddenly noticed that there was a glass shower stall in the corner of the room to the right of the nice bath, big enough to even fit a few people in it. To her right were a bathroom sink countertop and a large mirror on the wall with a framework that looked like those of an old picture frame. Another bathroom sink countertop was right behind her with the same style and she now noticed the entryway was a large walkway with two sides that had two doors. Behind each door was a walk-in closet, one belonged to Alice and the other was Bella's. Alice's eyes widened as she noticed the opened door that Bella had not shut closed when they walked into the room earlier, and she sped up to walk through the threshold and shock overtook Alice when she was met with the sight of a large bed with four posts and each of them had soft green fabric curtains tied in creamy-colored bows. There were two table lamps, one on each side of the bed sitting on pleasant-looking night tables. To the right of the room, a cushioned sofa was sitting against the wall with colors that matched the creamy sheets of their bed and in front of the couch was a glass table decorated with a vase of fresh white roses and sat next to it was a bucket filled with a bottle of champagne and two glasses on a tray. There was a French country pane seat benched at the foot of the bed and another armchair facing the bed sat at the left side of the room with a reading desk and lamp and a chair. The wall behind the armchair was painted with a portrait of a balcony looking down at a courtyard with a pool and beyond that were greens and trees that stretched for miles. In the middle of the room was a soft green Moroccan style rug and beneath it were shining wood tiled floors that ran diagonal in different patterns unlike its usual straight design. Too astounded by all that was of the dream-like room, Alice hadn't been able to pay attention to the footsteps that had trailed behind her and she nearly jumped when she heard Bella's voice from behind.

"I designed it. _For us_." Bella voiced. Alice turned around and faced her mate, too shocked to utter even a single word.

"I had Esme combined our rooms. She took down the wall between our bedrooms, built in a grand bathroom and walk-in closets, and she bought the materials and built our bed from scratch. Although she followed my sketch and blueprints, it was mostly her work." Bella smiled as she stepped forward and took Alice's hands.

"I hope you don't find me too presumptuous about moving us in together, because I – "

Alice's lips cut off Bella as she tried to explain herself, seeing that the vampire hadn't uttered a word since she stepped into their new bedroom. Bella's eyes closed and she melted in-between Alice's lips, feeling incredibly relieved that Alice had liked it. They had been spending every night together in either hers or Alice's room, and there was really no point in having two bedrooms when they were so meant to share one. Alice pulled away from Bella's lips and smiled brightly before she picked Bella up and spun her around in circles. Bella laughed as she patted Alice's shoulders to put her down and the vampire did only after a few more turns, and Bella's body was held up against Alice's when she set her down as they stared into each other's eyes with committed love.

"_You're amazing_." Alice said before she leaned in and softly pecked Bella's lips.

"I love you." Bella spoke against Alice's lips as she held onto her tight. Alice smiled into their kiss and then pulled back to look into Bella's eyes once more.

"I love _you_." Alice whispered before she leaned in and affectionately brushed her nose against Bella's. They stayed together in each other's arms, basking in the moment for several minutes before Bella's stomach began to growl with hunger. They both laughed as their little intimate moment was broken, but neither wanted to move from where they were.

"How about you go downstairs for dinner while I soak in the nice bath you prepared for me?" Alice laughed as she leaned in and briefly kissed her lips when Bella's stomach didn't stop growling.

"Good idea." Bella said before she captured Alice's lips once more. The vampire moaned from the soft pair of warm lips that had brushed against hers, and Bella quickly pulled away before Alice could explore them even further.

"Towels are under the sink." Bella remarked before she slipped out of Alice's arms and out the door.

Alice stood there staring at _their_ bedroom's door for the longest while before she realized that the water was still running and the bath was waiting for her in _their_ bathroom. Alice let the moment wash over her for several moments before she could no longer contain her happiness and let it out.

"Best surprise _ever_!" Alice squealed before she raced towards the nicely prepared bath.

Downstairs, the rest of the family plus one Bella chuckled at Alice's exciting screech when they had heard it.

_Oh, Alice._ Bella thought lovingly before Edward chuckled beside her as she ate.

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**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: So…I have NO idea how this chapter came about. *****chuckles* I think it turned out quite well for a writing that was done at 1 o'clock in the morning. I enjoyed writing it. Gosh, I can't believe Bella's going to school soon. Can you? It's been such a long journey watching baby Bella grow up. I hope you all enjoy the update. I'll be having a wonderful day as always, so you should too! :)**

* * *

_**A few months later…**_

Bella packed what was left of her books into the box, and she stood up after folding the top of the big box to seal it. The soon-to-be seventeen years old smiled as she began tracing the small scratches on the one side of the bookshelf, recollecting memories of how her family would gather around the shelf to mark her height every year as she grew. Later on, one of the vampires would eventually pull the bookshelf apart to pack up the parts and run it back to Forks along with all her other personal items.

Now standing at 5'6" and nearing the end of her teenage years, it was presumed that she would stop growing in height. It didn't bother Bella at all since she was comfortable with her height and she still has heels if she ever had days where she wanted to feel taller. Bella sighed with a hint of sadness as she traced the marks one last time and just as she turned around, Bella was surprised to see Alice standing at the entrance of their bedroom staring at her. The vampire was leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed against her chest, her contemplative expression revealing all of her anxiety and worries about the upcoming school year. Bella walked the short distance across the room to where Alice was and she rested her hand against Alice's bicep before letting her hand descend slowly down her arm, caressing the vampire's cold hardened skin. Alice gave her a small smile in response to the affectionate gesture, and she held Bella's hand when the girl's touch had trailed down to the end part of her limb.

"Feeling nostalgic already?" Alice asked even though she had known the answer to her own question. It was a known fact in their family that Bella got attached to people, places, and things too easily. The human girl simply _loved_ like no other. Alice felt especially lucky to be on the receiving end of Bella's romantic love, and although she sometimes wished that Bella didn't fall in love with things so easily, she knew that if Bella had lost that part of herself, the human girl wouldn't be the same Bella that Alice had to come to known.

Bella only let out a small sigh to Alice's question before Alice pulled Bella closer by her hand, and the young girl leaned her head onto Alice's shoulder as Alice wrapped one arm around Bella's waist. Alice leant down and kissed Bella's forehead to comfort her as she felt Bella move closer to her neck, inhaling her skin's natural alluring fragrance. Alice managed a small smile again even though she was just as sad as Bella was, and she buried her nose in Bella's tresses that were at the top of her head and breathed in the girl's beautiful scent as well.

Moving had never been so difficult until Bella started to mature and learned the meaning of what it was like to have loved and lost. It was at times like these that Alice longed for the lost years of Bella's innocence and ignorance. If she could take the pain and hurt away, Alice would've sacrificed _anything_ to keep Bella away from any sufferings.

"You smell wonderful." Bella sighed as she drank in Alice's scent. She nuzzled her nose further into the crooked of Alice's neck and the vampire giggled as she did so.

"Thank you!" Edward said straightaway as he passed by the two lovers that appeared to be having trouble deciding if they wanted to be intimate in their bedroom or outside in the hallway. Bella rolled her eyes as she lifted her head off of Alice's shoulder and amusedly looked into Alice's topaz eyes before she opened her mouth. Alice quirked an eyebrow at the girl before she felt Bella release her holds on Alice and stepping away from her.

"Keep flattering yourself old man." Bella joked before she leaned in to place a soft kiss upon Alice's lips, making Alice's eyes flutter close at the tenderness of the kiss. Bella pulled back slightly before whispering the next words for Alice to hear.

"You should already know of all my unspoken feelings by now. I only have eyes for you." Bella assured her even though she knew it wasn't necessary.

"_I know_." Alice smiled as she leaned in and pecked Bella's cheek before taking her hand and leading the girl down the stairs where their family awaited their company.

"Time's a-wastin' mouse and kitten! Let's hit the road!" Emmett exclaimed as he jumped up from his seat on the lover's seat with Rosalie.

"We still have time, Emmett." Jasper chuckled as he leaned back into a relaxing sitting position next to Edward.

"The plane won't take off for a few more hours, Big E." Bella said as she sat down in the lone armchair before Alice plopped down onto her lap, wrapping her arms around Bella's neck as she settled down on her comfortably. Emmett's shoulders slumped in response before he went to sit back down next to Rosalie, who only shook her head as she flipped to the next page in the magazine that she was skimming through.

Alice sighed as she leaned her head on Bella's shoulder, playing with the strands of Bella's tresses at her neck as she loosened her hold on the girl she was sitting on. The vampire still felt worried as the days are coming closer to the beginning of a school year. Alice, Edward, Jasper, and Bella were going to be registered as juniors at Forks High School, and Rosalie and Emmett will be going in as seniors. They had also taken it upon themselves to sign the juniors into as many advanced placement classes as they can manage, just so they'll all share a few periods together and feel more at ease with familiar company. It hadn't taken much effort because they've all done this before, but somehow they had stopped attending school when Bella came into their lives. The vampires have graduated more times from high school than they bothered keeping count, and they've all at one time or another pursued higher education and have several framed college degrees stacked somewhere in one of the packed boxes. It may be unfamiliar grounds for Bella, but for the rest of the vampires, they've done it countless times and wanted nothing more to do with a school full of tasty humans walking around like tempting blood bags unless they had to for their cover stories.

It was common for them to start as young as possible in a town so that they could stay longer, but Bella, being the considerate human being that she was, decided that one or two years in Forks would be enough for her. Although they couldn't have passed for freshmen, the Cullens were pretty certain they could've all entered school as sophomores and have a longer stay in Forks if Bella had wanted that much more time. After Forks, they had the world to conquer, but it's been already decided by Edward that they'd move to Denali, Alaska afterwards. No one wanted to say it, but everyone had thought it, which caused Edward to roll his topaz eyes every time that they did. They all presumed the reason he chose Alaska was because of Tanya Denali, the leader of the Denali coven. It was no secret that there was some sort of puppy love going on between the millennia old blonde temptress and the century old broody man. In fact, when Bella had kept her thoughts open about it after she's heard stories of Tanya and Edward, the vampire scowled at her choice of words for referring to their special relationship as _puppy love_. Edward refused to have any part of his life compared to a little _mutt_. The idea had disturbed him for days, and when asked what was wrong, Edward only denied that anything was amiss.

Speaking about mutts, there were shape shifters who turned into mongrels living in La Push, a small community not too far away from Forks. According to their people's legend, any vampire's presence will trigger the shift of several of the Quileute tribal members, causing them to turn into werewolves in response to danger, in which their body will be giving them supernatural abilities to protect their reservation. The Cullens had made a treaty with the chief of the Quileute tribe, Ephraim Black, about a century ago when they had moved to Forks for the first time, and as long as they don't cross the border and trespass onto each other's territory, there would be no harm done to either side. Although Ephraim Black was wary of the vampires at first, he soon found them to be honest and trusting when they had stayed true to their words, seeing as they only hunted animals to survive and did not harm any of the humans living in Forks at the time. They had a rather amicable relationship with one another after about a year of the Cullens residing in Forks, and before they had left, the chief of the Quileute tribe had informed them that they were welcome to come back to stay in Forks even after he was long gone, saying that he had written it down in the books for his future generations to know about their existence and to keep quiet about it so that the treaty stays in place. When they had returned to Forks again almost eighteen years ago, they had discovered that Ephraim Black had passed and his son, William "Billy" Black, had been cloaked with the powerful authority due to his being the direct descendant of a long line of chieftains. Billy Black had worn a white smile as he greeted them at the border almost eighteen years ago, and it was visible to them that he was born with the power of authority even though he was confined to a wheelchair due to diabetes. The man had inherited Ephraim's place on the tribal council, and had told them about his father's death and took it upon himself to introduce them to their pack's new alpha, Sam Uley, who had been a part of Ephraim Black's pack and will be sitting in until one of the Black children become old enough to lead the Quileute tribe. They had agreed to re-signed the treaty, a proposal suggested by Billy Black, so that he was alerted whenever the Cullens were nearby because he wanted his people to be prepared if they had any of the younger generations shifting. The wolf complex gene had intrigued Carlisle for a long time, but he dared not ask to examine them out of common courtesy, and Edward had wondered about them too because he couldn't read any of the Quileute's mind. The vampire didn't have any prejudice against them, but it was just that their stench was a bit unbearable at times, having to run off with several other vampires and leaving Carlisle and Esme on their own whenever they had meetings with the Quileute tribe about each other's safety.

_That _was why Edward had been disturbed with Bella's thoughts about _puppy love_. He couldn't imagine being in a _stinking_ relationship with Tanya. That would just be absolutely horrendous. By the last day of the disturbing thought, Edward finally laughed at himself when he realized he had gotten all worked up for nothing. Everyone in the family had looked upstairs as they heard his laughter from the living room, Bella included, because Edward_ never_ laughed by himself unless he was reading someone else's mind. They all had eyed each other during the time, wondering what the others were thinking, causing the broody vampire to laugh all on his own once more. Nobody had uttered a word about it, and Emmett had actually thought that Edward had finally gone mad.

Alice closed her topaz eyes as she felt Bella tracing lazy circles onto her back and she sighed once more at the affectionate gesture. The warmth emanating from Bella's body had made Alice feel so warm, and the vampire suddenly thought about how she felt so at home in Bella's arms.

"_Oh god_," Edward said with a disgusted look before he started chuckling, alarming everyone but Alice who was still stuck in a daze. They all looked at him in question and he just jerked his head slightly and gestured towards Alice who still had her eyes closed. Everyone chuckled at this and the vibrations of Bella's body shaking awakened Alice out of her oblivion. Alice's topaz eyes circled the room and they wander around trying to find the source that instigated Bella's laughter. When she couldn't find it, she sat up straight in Bella's lap and her back was suddenly pressed against Bella's chest, causing the young vampire's breath to hitch and her eyes to blink rapidly.

"Um…" Alice swallowed hard before she slowly leaned forward and away from Bella's chest, causing Edward to laugh as he was obviously tuned in on her thoughts. "I…need..._a moment_." Alice said more to Bella than the others before she dashed out of the front door.

Bella sat there in confusion to what had just happened and immediately looked at Edward for an answer. The vampire was now shaking, as he was bent over laughing in his seat and the rest of the family had joined him with Emmett's cackling matching Edward's loud laughter.

"What's so funny?" Bella asked irritatingly, feeling incredibly left out of their silent or vampire speed conversation.

"You don't want to know, baby Bella. You don't want to know." Emmett repeated himself as he clutched an arm around his stomach as he laughed. Rosalie gracefully stood up from where she had sitting and walked over to where Bella sat before she settled down on the armrest and faced the young girl.

"I shouldn't be the one to be telling you this, but that girl is just so…_stubborn._" Rosalie rolled her eyes as she said this. Rosalie decided to take a different approach and then stood up again but only to kneel down in front of Bella this time before moving both of her cold hands to hold Bella's face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Jasper advised as he saw Rosalie about to open her mouth to speak to Bella. Rosalie turned to look at the vampire and then scowled before she felt the wave of calmness wash over her.

"Stop that." Rosalie said sternly even though her tone was gentler than usual.

"I think he's right, Rosalie. We are in no place to intervene." Carlisle added before he looked over to Esme and saw her with a worried expression.

"I don't know, dear. Maybe it's time." Esme said as she looked over to catch Rosalie's eyes.

"Okay, can we talk about me like I'm still actually here?" Bella laughed a little awkwardly before quirking both her eyebrows in question. Rosalie turned back to face Bella and her expression softened as she stared back into Bella's brown orbs. Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak again, Emmett's loud snickers interrupted the moment and she looked over to glare at her mate but he hadn't been paying attention to see her threatening look. Rosalie rolled her eyes at the big goofy man and then returned her attention to Bella who was now sitting a bit uncomfortably in her seat by the looks of it, and Rosalie's eyes softened once more. Rosalie removed her hands from Bella's face and then gently held the young girl's hands. She let out a steady breath before she started talking over Emmett's uncontrolled laughter.

"Bella honey, Alice is out there in the forest touching herself right now." Rosalie said as calmly and seriously as she can. Confusion swept over Bella's features for several seconds before her face slowly contorted into one of recognition.

"Oh." Bella said. She blinked rapidly at the realization before she closed her slightly dropped jaw.

"_Oh_." Bella uttered once more. The boys had now gotten quiet and the rest of the family was staring at her as they waited to see her reaction to the news. It was slightly amusing for them all to see the color red paint her cheeks a rosy shade as more time passed by. About half of them sat there expecting some kind of outburst, or maybe for Bella to run out of the room in embarrassment. She was a teenager after all and teen girls usually reacted aggressively when it came to these topics. Yet, that didn't happen and they found it quite strange. Maybe it was a delayed reaction.

"Okay." Bella nodded slowly as she contemplated Rosalie's words.

"Wow." Bella was now shaking her head back and forth as she tried to wrap her mind around the blonde's words and the realization that had just hit her.

Rosalie tried not to laugh as she watched the many facial expressions came and leave Bella's face, but as hard as she tried to purse her lips to keep from smiling, she gave in about several seconds later and was grinning mad at the young girl in the armchair before her.

"Err… Um… Well… Ha…" Bella laughed awkwardly as more time passed and she reached a hand behind her to scratch the back of her head.

"It's strange seeing how speechless you are." Edward commented as he cracked an amusing smile her way.

"It's okay, Bella Bear. We _all_ touch ourselves _all_ the time." Emmett tried to lighten the mood.

"_Emmett!_" everyone in the room yelled as he felt a smack at the back of his head.

"_What?_ It's true!" Emmett whined as he rubbed his head to soothe the pain.

"What he's trying to say, Bella, is that vampires have _needs_. It's natural for one to find _self-relief_ the way Alice does." Edward explained before the rest of the family tried not to laugh at Edward's choice of words. He was kind-of known to be a prude when it came to those kinds of topics.

"Really?" Bella asked tentatively as she lifted her eyes off the ground and stared into Edward's eyes.

"Yes." Rosalie confirmed as she stood up from the floor and then sat on the armrest again.

"I think we've disclosed enough personal facts for tonight." Jasper concluded their discussion. They all sat in silence as they amusingly waited for Alice's return. Bella knew that they were all trying to let her think the things they've said through and let it sink into her system. She felt too awkward to add another word to the conversation, and a part of her wanted to smack the front of her head for not realizing it sooner. It all made sense to her now that she thought about Alice's behavior in the last few months, but she still felt shy about the entire situation nonetheless.

"Poor Alice…" Bella unconsciously spoke to herself before she clamped a hand over her mouth and saw all the vampires staring at her in hilarity.

"_Poor me?_" Alice questioned as she stepped inside the house to find her family strangely quiet. Before Bella could answer, everyone had immediately dashed out the front door and left Bella staring at a vampire standing in the middle of the room with confusion written all over her face. Bella chose at that point to be a little bit more thoughtful and opened her mind as she decided to talk to Alice about what she was doing out in the forest. Alice's eyes glazed over momentarily before her face became horror-stricken only seconds later.

"_Oh god_." Alice said ashamedly before she covered her face with her hands. The vampire tried to stay calm, but embarrassment overwhelmed her and she almost made a quick dash out the front door as well until Bella spoke before she got a chance to move.

"It's okay, Alice. _I understand_." Bella said as she quickly walked over to where Alice stood and took the vampire's cold hands into her own. Bella swallowed the small lump in her throat before she took a breath and looked into Alice's eyes.

"_It's okay_." Bella reassured her again. Alice's eyes softened immediately before she studied Bella's face. She sighed with relief when she saw that Bella was telling her the truth and she leaned in to briefly kiss Bella on the lips to thank her.

"I promise I won't _ever_ do it again." Alice tried to apologize as she stared back into Bella's now mirth-filled eyes.

"You can do it whenever you want. _I don't care._ Just…promise you'll tell me more about this whole mate thing when the time comes, okay?" Bella spoke softly. Alice looked at Bella gratefully before she nodded her head and then wrapped her arms around Bella's neck as she pulled her into a warm embrace.

"_Good._" Bella whispered quietly as her arms wrapped around Alice's middle and clung onto her beloved tightly.

_We will cross that bridge when we come to it._ Bella thought to herself.

* * *

**Disclaimers: I do not own Twilight. **


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